GP frequent consulters: their prevalence, natural history, and contribution to rising workload

A small proportion of patients use a disproportionate amount of general pra ctitioners' (GPs') time. We demonstrate here that such frequent attending b ehaviour tends to persist through five-year follow-up, suggesting the need for the development of specific management strategies. We also show that, a t any rate in one practice, total workload is increasing dramatically, and that frequent consulters make up a large part of the increase.