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Introduction: This study assessed the changes in outpatient visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Subjects were patients who visited the outpatient clinic of the Family Medicine Centre at Kanai Hospital between April and May in 2019 and 2020. We compared the number of outpatients, their age, and their reasons for encounter (RFEs) classified according to the International Classification of Primary Care, 2nd Edition between 2019 and 2020.Results: A total of 1159 patients in 2019 and 859 patients in 2020 were evaluated. There were 553 male patients in 2019 and 452 in 2020 (P =0.029). The mean age of the patients was 48.4 years in 2019 and 52.4 years in 2020 (P =0.010). The mean number of patients per day was 25.2 in 2019 and 17.9 in 2020 (P < 0.001), with a significant reduction in patients aged 0-4 years in 2020 relative to 2019 (3.64 in 2019 vs.1.02 in 2020; P < 0.001). On evaluation of RFEs classified by organic system, the proportion of respiratory RFEs decreased from 45.3% in 2019 to 31.6% in 2020 (P =0.026), and gastrointestinal RFEs decreased from 17.9% to 5.3% (P =0.003) among children. Among adults, the proportion of respiratory RFEs decreased from 22.6% in 2019 to 15.6% in 2020 (P < 0.001) and skin RFEs decreased from 20.1% in 2019 to 15.3% in 2020 (P =0.011).Conclusion: The number of outpatients decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were differences in the proportion of RFEs between the two periods.
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<p><b>Introduction: </b>Currently, there are no studies on changes in health problems due to population aging in Japan. This study was conducted to estimate the changes by comparing the present health problems using the International Classification of Primary care second edition (ICPC-2) with a previous study.</p><p><b>Methods: </b>We conducted a retrospective open cohort study on a rural island in Okinawa. We classified health problems of all patients using ICPC-2, and compared the data with a previous study using the International Classification of Health problems in Primary care-2 defined (ICHPPC-2 defined) from 1990.</p><p><b>Result: </b>The total number of visits to the clinic was 4660 per year (age 0-14 years, n=828; age 15-64, n=2146; age 65 or older, n=1688). In 2015, the frequency of musculoskeletal, skin and general, and unspecified problems was higher. The number of health problems contained within the top 50% of all health problems, which is an indicator of the comprehensiveness of practice, was higher in the previous study.</p><p><b>Conclusion: </b>The present study suggested that orthopedic and dermatological disorders increased, and greater comprehensiveness of practice is needed.</p>
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<b>Introduction</b> : This study was conducted to estimate actual reasons for encounters and health problems, which is difficult to assess in a free-access system, in an area with limited access to advanced care by using the International Classification of Primary care second edition (ICPC-2).<br><b>Methods</b> : We conducted a retrospective open cohort study on an isolated island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. We encoded reasons for encounter (RFE) and health problems of all patients using ICPC-2.<br><b>Results</b> : The total number of visits to the clinic was 5682 a year (age 0-14 years, n=862 ; age 15-64 years, n=2205 ; age 65 or older, n=2615). The top 3 RFE classified by organic systems were R (respiratory), S (skin) and L (musculoskeletal). Dementia (ICPC-2 code : P-70) was eighth in the rank of chronic health problem among elderly people. Visits due to health maintenance/prevention (ICPC-2 code : A-98) was third in the rank of new health problem among children.<br><b>Conclusion</b> : In the present study, rankings of major RFE and health problems are similar to those in previous studies. Among elderly people, however, the rank order of dementia among chronic health problems was higher than that in previous studies. In addition, among children, the rank order of health maintenance/prevention among new health problems was higher than that in previous studies.
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BACKGROUNDS: It is important to know the contents of health problems in patients in a primary care setting. The aim of this study was to explore the main chief complaints and major diagnoses of patients, who were admitted to a hospital using the ICD-10 and to observe difference according to each department and admission route and how diagnoses were made. METHODS: A total of 18,560 patients who were admitted to a hospital located in Chungnam Province from 1 Jan 1998 to 31 Dec 1998. Main chief complaints and major diagnoses made through the admissions departments were chosen as subjects (medical vs. surgical) and by admission route (emergency vs. OPD)were analyzed. How the diagnoses were derived from the most common chief complaints among medical and surgical departments were analyzed by admissions departments and by admission route. RESULTS: The most common 10 chief complaints revealed no significant difference by admission route in medical departments, but there was some difference in surgical departments. There was some difference in the most common 10 major diagnoses by admission routes in both medical and surgical departments. Abdominal and pelvic pain, which was the most common chief complaints, became a significantly different diagnosis by admission route in both departments. CONCLUSION: Main chief complaints were similar regardless of admission routes, but the diagnoses were different. ICD-10 classification may be useful to classify the diagnoses, but have limitations to classify chief complaints or reasons for encounter. It is necessary to introduce a new classification such as ICPC-2 for reasons for encounter in order to explore the dimension of health problems.