Patient encounters in general practice. An epidemiological survey in Møre and Romsdal

In 1988 and 1989 all general practitioners (GPs) in Møre & Romsdal recorded all encounters with patients over a period of two months. The participation rate was close to 100% and a total of 90,458 encounters were recorded. Of all encounters 61% involved female patients. Female GPs had more female patients than their male colleagues (71% versus 59%). The discrepancy was most pronounced for sex-specific diagnoses. Home visits accounted for 9% of all direct encounters, an increase from the 5-6% reported in the 1970s. 37% of all contacts occurred by phone or messenger. The diagnostic distribution compares well with Olav Rutle's findings in 1978. Cardiovascular diseases, however, seem to have become less prominent since that time. The most frequent ICPC diagnoses were musculoskeletal (17%), respiratory (14%), cardiovascular (12%), and psychiatric (12%). Respiratory diseases dominated among children, musculoskeletal diseases among adults, and cardiovascular diseases among the elderly.