RESUMO
All visits to or by the district nurses in Gothenburg, Sweden, were registered during one week (daytime Monday to Friday). Altogether 5,250 visits were registered. 77 per cent of all visits concerned subjects 65 years of age or older and 54 per cent subjects 75 years of age or older. It was more common for a woman to visit or be visited by a district nurse than for a man. Of the visits 70 per cent were made by the nurses (59 per cent to the homes of the patients and 11 per cent to homes for the aged), while 30 per cent of all visits were made by the patients to the district nurse's office. Very few visits concerned foreigners living in Sweden. Visits to or by old people were slightly more time-consuming than those to or by younger patients. When planning resources for visits to or by the district nurses it seems that age is by far the most important factor to take into consideration.
