BACKGROUND

Much is still unknown about the consultation behaviour of frequent attenders, including why they consult as often as they do and why they consult in the patterns that they do.

AIM

To determine why frequent attenders to general practice consult in the patterns that they do.

METHOD

A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. Twenty-eight frequent attenders were purposively sampled from three practices; 13 exhibited a 'burst and gap' pattern of attendance and 15 exhibited a 'regular' pattern of attendance.

RESULTS

A two-part model is proposed. The first part encompasses each individual decision to consult and is based around eight questions that may be asked as part of the decision-making process (these concern the perception of the general practitioner's [GP's] role, past experience of symptoms and consulting, comparison with others' consulting, relationship with the GP, balancing fears, lay consulting, individual reasons, and whether it was a symptom that they would not normally consult for). The second part determines the pattern of consulting and has four major themes: predominantly medical reasons for attending, experience of what happens during the consultation, accessibility of the GP, and periods of not consulting. Two further themes are proposed: 'multiplicity', whereby the reasons for consulting lead to further consulting for related and unrelated problems, and 'passivity', whereby consulting seems to be out of control.

CONCLUSIONS

The reasons underpinning each individual decision to consult were complex. The control that GPs were perceived to have over the pattern of consulting, for example concerning prescribing, review visits, and in addressing further help-seeking behaviour, may provide more possibilities for developing intervention strategies than targeting frequent attenders themselves. An understanding of the processes behind the consulting behaviour of frequent attenders may lead to more functional consultations and better clinical care as a result.