VARIATION IN PHYSICIANS RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT REVISIT INTERVAL FOR 3 COMMON CONDITIONS

Background. The appropriate revisit interval for most conditions is un certain. This survey was done to gather information about physicians' recommendations on revisit intervals for three common conditions. Meth ods. Data were gathered in a mailed survey of 116 primary care physici ans in the University of California at San Francisco Collaborative Res earch Network. Physicians were given descriptions of three hypothetica l patients, one with diabetes mellitus, one with angina, and one with hypertension, and were asked when they would recommend a follow-up vis it for the condition. Results. There were great variations in physicia ns' recommendations about revisit intervals for each hypothetical pati ent. Internists were significantly more likely than family physicians to recommend a longer revisit interval for the hypothetical patient wi th diabetes mellitus; a similar revisit pattern was found for the pati ent with hypertension. There were no significant associations with rec ommended revisit interval and many other physician characteristics. Co nclusions. As interest in containing the cost and improving the effici ency of medical care increases, knowing how often patients ought to be seen will be a topic of increasing importance. A rational, informatio n-based approach to the choice of revisit interval for common conditio ns could yield substantial savings in medical care costs. The existenc e of great variation in recommended revisit interval suggests that phy sicians are uncertain about what interval is best.