HKCFP-HKU Primary Care Morbidity Survey in Hong Kong

Background: Information about the health problems of patients presenting in primary care is crucial to understanding the health of the general community for the planning and allocation of health care resources. Practice-based morbidity studies conducted in primary care settings have proven to be helpful in documentation of disease prevalence and for service planning. With the change in morbidity pattern and the aging population, our study will help to inform primary health care policy and guide work force and service planning. Method: This is a prospective practice-based study of health problems presenting in primary care. Doctors who agree to participate in the study will record the health problem and type of management performed in consecutive patient encounters for one of the designated weeks during each season over the course of one year. Analysis: Data collected will be analysed by descriptive statistics, comparison with data from previous morbidity study, and by non-linear mixed effects for factors associated with morbidity and management patterns in primary care. Results: Findings will will 1) provide evidence to support the allocation of resources to continue and to expand primary care initiatives that support the provision of quality chronic disease care in private sector, 2) enable continued surveillance of the morbidity trends in Hong Kong by providing data for comparison with past and future studies, and 3) inform the content of educational curricula for medical and health care students and practitioners to prepare them to better meet the needs of the community.