Farrell Aisling, McCarthy Alannah, Tobin Roseanne, Bowen Elizabeth, Russell Audrey, Jennings Aisling
Department of General Practice, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Cork GP Training Scheme, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Ir J Med Sci. 2025 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s11845-025-04071-7.
The attendance at out-of-hours GP services in Ireland has increased over the last number of years. However, the reasons for the increased demand have not been explored in the literature.
The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to the use of out-of-hours GP services in Ireland from the patient's perspective.
A survey was designed and piloted prior to distribution. The survey was completed by patients attending an out-of-hours GP treatment centre in Cork, Ireland over a four-month period. Using a combination of forced choice items, free text boxes and five-point Likert scales, questions explored the reasons for attendance and experiences of patients with the out of hours service. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data on MS Excel.
80 people completed the survey. 75% (60/80) of participants stated that they had not attempted to contact their GP prior to contacting the out-of-hours centre. 49% (39/80) contacted the out-of-hours service as they felt that their issue was urgent. 36% (29/80) stated that they were unable to obtain an appointment with their GP and 15% (12/80) stated that the out-of-hours service was more convenient than regular GP hours. 29% (23/80) had symptoms for more than 4 days prior to contacting out-of-hours. The most common presentation was coryzal and upper respiratory tract symptoms, grouped collectively as 'Ear Nose and Throat' (ENT) symptoms at 34% (27/80).
This study provides insight into the factors driving patient attendance at the out-of-hours GP service in Ireland. These factors include perceived urgency of symptoms, an inability to obtain an appointment with their own GP and in some cases, the convenience of out-of-hours services. There is a demand for targeted patient educational campaigns and increased resourcing for GP services during the daytime to reduce reliance on out-of-hours GP services.
在过去数年中，爱尔兰非工作时间全科医生服务的就诊人数有所增加。然而，文献中尚未探讨需求增加的原因。
本研究的目的是从患者角度确定促成爱尔兰非工作时间全科医生服务使用的因素。
在分发之前设计并试点了一项调查。该调查由在爱尔兰科克的一个非工作时间全科医生治疗中心就诊的患者在四个月期间完成。通过强制选择项目、自由文本框和五点李克特量表相结合的方式，问题探究了就诊原因以及患者在非工作时间服务方面的经历。使用描述性统计在MS Excel上分析数据。
80人完成了调查。75%（60/80）的参与者表示，在联系非工作时间中心之前，他们未曾尝试联系自己的全科医生。49%（39/80）的人联系非工作时间服务是因为他们觉得自己的问题很紧急。36%（29/80）的人表示无法预约自己的全科医生，15%（12/80）的人表示非工作时间服务比常规全科医生工作时间更方便。29%（23/80）的人在联系非工作时间服务之前症状持续超过4天。最常见的症状表现是感冒和上呼吸道症状，统称为“耳鼻喉”（ENT）症状，占34%（27/80）。
本研究深入了解了促使爱尔兰患者在非工作时间就诊全科医生服务的因素。这些因素包括症状的感知紧迫性、无法预约自己的全科医生，以及在某些情况下非工作时间服务的便利性。需要开展有针对性的患者教育活动，并增加白天全科医生服务的资源，以减少对非工作时间全科医生服务的依赖。
