Predictability of persistent frequent attendance: a historic 3-year cohort study.

General Practitioners spend a disproportionate amount of time on frequent attenders. So far, trials on the effect of interventions on frequent attenders have shown negative results. However, these trials were conducted in short-term frequent attenders. It would be more reasonable to target intervention at persistent frequent attenders. Typical characteristics of persistent frequent attenders, as opposed to 1-year frequent attenders and non-frequent attenders, may generate hypotheses regarding modifiable factors on which new randomized trials may be designed.
One out of every seven 1-year-frequent attenders (15.4%) becomes a persistent frequent attender. Compared with non-frequent attenders, and 1-year frequent attenders, persistent frequent attenders consume more health care and are diagnosed not only with more somatic diseases but especially more social problems, psychiatric problems and medically unexplained physical symptoms.


Smits, F.T.H.M.; Brouwer, H.J.; vanWeert, H.C.P.; Schene, A.H.; terRiet, G. Predictability of persistent frequent attendance: a historic 3-year cohort study. Vol: 59 Nro: 559 Págs: 114 - 119 Data: 01-02-2009
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2649070&blobtype=pdf