The interpretation of the reasons for encounter 'cough' and 'sadness' in four international family medicine populations.

Background: This is a study of the relationships between common reasons for encounter (RfEs) and common diagnoses (episode titles) within episodes of care (EoCs) in family practice populations in four countries.

Method: Participating family doctors (FDs) recorded details of all their patient contacts in an EoC structure using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), including RfEs presented by the patient, and the FDs' diagnostic labels. The relationships between RfEs and episode titles were studied using Bayesian methods.

Revisiting the concept of 'chronic disease' from the perspective of the episode of care model. Does the ratio of incidence to prevalence rate help us to define a problem as chronic?

Background: This is a study of the epidemiology of acute and chronic episodes of care (EoCs) in the Transition Project in three countries. We studied the duration of EoCs for acute and chronic health problems and the relationship of incidence to prevalence rates for these EoCs.

Method: The Transition Project databases collect data on all elements of the doctor-patient encounter in family medicine.

An international comparative family medicine study of the Transition Project data from the Netherlands, Malta and Serbia. Is family medicine an international discipline? Comparing incidence and prevalence rates of reasons for encounter and diagnostic titles of episodes of care across populations.

Introduction: This is a study of the epidemiology of family medicine (FM) in three practice populations from the Netherlands, Malta and Serbia. Incidence and prevalence rates, especially of reasons for encounter (RfEs) and episode labels, are compared.

Methodology: Participating family doctors (FDs) recorded details of all their patient contacts in an episode of care (EoC) structure using electronic patient records based on the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), collecting data on all elements of the doctor-patient encounter.

An international comparative family medicine study of the Transition Project data from the Netherlands, Malta, Japan and Serbia. An analysis of diagnostic odds ratios aggregated across age bands, years of observation and individual practices.

Introduction: This is a study of the process of diagnosis in family medicine (FM) in four practice populations from the Netherlands, Malta, Serbia and Japan. Diagnostic odds ratios (ORs) for common reasons for encounter (RfEs) and episode titles are used to study the process of diagnosis in international FM and to test the assumption that data can be aggregated across different age bands, practices and years of observation.

Methodology: Participating family doctors (FDs) recorded details of all their patient contacts in an episode of care (EoC) structure using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC).

An international comparative family medicine study of the Transition Project data from the Netherlands, Malta and Serbia. Is family medicine an international discipline? Comparing diagnostic odds ratios across populations.

Introduction: This is an international study of the epidemiology of family medicine (FM) in three practice populations from the Netherlands, Malta and Serbia. Diagnostic associations between common reasons for encounter (RfEs) and episodes titles are compared and similarities and differences are described and analysed.

Methodology: Participating family doctors (FDs) recorded details of all their patient contacts in an 'episode of care (EoC)' structure using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC).