2014•Unpublished venueRequires access
Clinical Research Relationship Between Primary Care Physician Visits and Hospital/Emergency Use for Uncomplicated Hypertension, an Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Condition
Robin L. Walker, Guanmin Chen, Finlay A. McAlister, Brenda R. Hemmelgarn, Elijah Dixon, William A. Ghali, Doreen M. Rabi, Karen Tu, Nathalie Jetté, Hude Quan
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Abstract
Background: Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) represent an indirect measure of access and quality of community care. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between one ACSC, uncomplicated hypertension, and previous primary care physician (PCP) utilization. Methods: A cohort of patients with hypertension was identified using administrative databases in Alberta between fiscal years 1994 and 2008. We applied the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s case definition to detect patients with uncomplicated hypertension as the most responsible reason for hospitalization and/or Emergency Department (ED) visit. We assessed hypertension-related and all-cause PCP visits.