Performance of primary care in different healthcare facilities: a cross-sectional study of patients' experiences in Southern Malawi.

Objective: In most African countries, primary care is delivered through a district health system. Many factors, including staffing levels, staff experience, availability of equipment and facility management, affect the quality of primary care between and within countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of primary care in different types of public health facilities in Southern Malawi.

The effect of team collaboration and continuity of care on health and disability among rehabilitation patients: a longitudinal survey-based study from western Norway.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how changes in patient-rated health and disability from baseline to after rehabilitation were associated with communication and relationships in rehabilitation teams and patient-rated continuity of care.

Methods: Linear models were used to assess the associations between relational coordination [RC] and Nijmegen Continuity Questionnaire-Norwegian version [NCQ-N] with changes in the World Health Association Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 [WHODAS 2.

Sense of Coherence, Disability, and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study of Rehabilitation Patients in Norway.

Objective: To study relations between sense of coherence (SOC), disability, and mental and physical components of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among rehabilitation patients.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Rehabilitation centers in secondary care.

Quality of primary care from patients' perspective: a cross sectional study of outpatients' experience in public health facilities in rural Malawi.

Background: Assessing patients' experience with primary care complements measures of clinical health outcomes in evaluating service performance. Measuring patients' experience and satisfaction are among Malawi's health sector strategic goals. The purpose of this study was to investigate patients' experience with primary care and to identify associated patients' sociodemographic, healthcare and health characteristics.

GP follow-up after first diagnosing psychological problems among adolescents: a nationwide register-based study.

Background: Psychological problems are common among adolescents. Many GPs consider these problems challenging, even after diagnosis.

Aim: To explore how Norwegian GPs follow-up patients after a first diagnosis of a psychological problem at age 15-16 years.

Relational coordination in interprofessional teams and its effect on patient-reported benefit and continuity of care: a prospective cohort study from rehabilitation centres in Western Norway.

Background: Rehabilitation services depend on competent professionals who collaborate effectively. Well-functioning interprofessional teams are expected to positively impact continuity of care. Key factors in continuity of care are communication and collaboration among health care professionals in a team and their patients.

Communication and Relational Ties in Inter-Professional Teams in Norwegian Specialized Health Care: A Multicentre Study of Relational Coordination.

Introduction: The delivery of integrated care depends on the quality of communication and relationships among health-care professionals in inter-professional teams. The main aim of this study was to investigate individual and team communication and relational ties of teams in specific care processes within specialized health care.

Methods: This cross-sectional multi-centre study used data from six somatic hospitals and six psychiatric units (N = 263 [response rate, 52%], 23 care processes) using a Norwegian version of the Relational Coordination Survey.

Adolescents consulting general practitioners for psychological problems-a nationwide, register-based study in Norway.

Background: Psychological problems are increasing among adolescents, but little is known about the role of GPs in this area.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the frequency of GP consultations with a psychological diagnosis in adolescence and predictors for such help seeking.

Methods: Nationwide longitudinal register-based study investigating GP consultations among adolescents aged 13-17 years (N = 123 516) in Norway.

Development and validation of a Malawian version of the primary care assessment tool.

Background: Malawi does not have validated tools for assessing primary care performance from patients' experience. The aim of this study was to develop a Malawian version of Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT-Mw) and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the assessment of the core primary care dimensions from adult patients' perspective in Malawi.

Methods: A team of experts assessed the South African version of the primary care assessment tool (ZA-PCAT) for face and content validity.

New episodes of musculoskeletal conditions among employed people in Norway, sickness certification and return to work: a multiregister-based cohort study from primary care.

Objectives: To identify new cases of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders among employed people presenting in Norwegian primary care in 2012, frequency of sickness certification and length of sick leave. To identify patient-, diagnosis- and GP-related predictors of sickness certification, prolonged sick leave and return to work (RTW).

Methods: An observational multiregister-based cohort study covering all employed persons in Norway(1 176 681 women and 1 330 082 men) based on claims data from all regular GPs merged with individual sociodemographic data from public registers was performed.

Dimensions and predictors of disability-A baseline study of patients entering somatic rehabilitation in secondary care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate disability among patients who were accepted for admission to a Norwegian rehabilitation center and to identify predictors of disability.

Materials And Methods: In a cross-sectional study including 967 adult participants, the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule version 2.0 36-item version was used for assessing overall and domain-specific disability as outcome variables.

Patient perspectives on continuity of care: adaption and preliminary psychometric assessment of a Norwegian version of the Nijmegen Continuity Questionnaire (NCQ-N).

Background: Continuity of care is regarded as a core quality element in healthcare. Continuity can be related to one or more specific caregivers but also applies to collaboration within a team or across boundaries of healthcare. Measuring continuity is important to identify problems and evaluate quality improvement of interventions.

GP consultations for common mental disorders and subsequent sickness certification: register-based study of the employed population in Norway.

Background: Challenges related to work are in focus when employed people with common mental disorders (CMDs) consult their GPs. Many become sickness certified and remain on sick leave over time.

Objectives: To investigate the frequency of new CMD episodes among employed patients in Norwegian general practice and subsequent sickness certification.

Validation of World Health Organization Assessment Schedule 2.0 in specialized somatic rehabilitation services in Norway.

Purpose: The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0 is a generic instrument to assess disability covering six domains. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of the instrument for monitoring disability in specialized somatic rehabilitation by testing reliability, construct validity and responsiveness of WHODAS 2.

GP utilisation by education level among adults with COPD or asthma: a cross-sectional register-based study.

There is a marked socioeconomic gradient in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, but a large proportion of patients remain undiagnosed. It is a challenge for general practitioners (GPs) to both identify patients and contribute to equity and high quality in services delivered. The aim of this study was to identify patients with COPD and asthma diagnoses recorded by GPs and explore their utilisation of GP services by education level.

Point-of-care testing with CRP in primary care: a registry-based observational study from Norway.

Background: Norwegian primary health care is maintained on the regular general practitioners (RGPs), GP's contracted to the municipalities in a list patient system, working at daytime and at out-of-hours services (OOH services). Respiratory disease is most prevalent during OOH services, and in more than 50 % of the consultations, a CRP test is performed. Children in particular have a high consultation rate, and the CRP test is frequently conducted, but the contributing factors behind its frequent use are not known.

Use of GP services by patients with schizophrenia: a national cross-sectional register-based study.

Background: Reform of health services has given primary care facilities increased responsibility for patients with serious mental disorders (SMD). There has also been a growing awareness of the high somatic morbidity among SMD patients, an obvious challenge for general practitioners (GPs). The aim of this study was to assess the utilisation of GP services by patients with schizophrenia.

The regular general practitioner and sickness absence--a register-based study.

Background: Undertaking research on the role of regular GPs with regard to rates of sickness absence is methodologically challenging, and existing results show a wide divergence. We investigated how long-term sickness absence is affected by the characteristics of doctors and their patient lists.

Material And Methods: The study encompassed all those vocationally active residents of Oslo and Bergen in 2005-2006 who had the same regular GP throughout 2006 (N = 298,039).

Personal continuity of care in Norwegian general practice: a national cross-sectional study.

Objective: Personal continuity is regarded as a core value in general practice. The aim of this study was to determine the level of personal continuity in Norwegian general practice. An investigation was made of the associations between high levels of personal continuity and patient, general practitioner (GP), and list characteristics.

Women's higher likelihood of disability pension: the role of health, family and work. A 5-7 years follow-up of the Hordaland Health Study.

Background: Women's higher risk of disability pension compared with men is found in countries with high female work participation and universal welfare schemes. The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which self-perceived health, family situation and work factors explain women's higher risk of disability pension. We also explored how these factors influenced the gender difference across educational strata.

Does socioeconomic status of list populations affect GP practice? A register-based study of 2201 Norwegian GPs.

Background: Mortality and morbidity rates differ markedly across social strata, resulting in different needs for health services. The utilization of GP services may be higher in groups with lower socioeconomic status (SES), although findings differ when taking health needs into account.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the SES of list populations and the characteristics of GP practices, consultation rates, and income per patient in a fee-for-service financing model.

General practitioners' experiences with sickness certification: a comparison of survey data from Sweden and Norway.

Background: In most countries with sickness insurance systems, general practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the sickness-absence process. Previous studies have indicated that GPs experience several tasks and situations related to sickness certification consultations as problematic. The fact that the organization of primary health care and social insurance systems differ between countries may influence both GPs' experiences and certification.

General practitioner characteristics and sickness absence--a register-based study of 348 054 employed Norwegians.

Background: Sickness certification is currently of increased interest in general practice research. Sickness absence certification is a key medical task for general practitioners (GPs), but the knowledge of GPs' certification practices and the GPs' role in sickness absence is limited and partly contradictory.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyse whether rates of sickness absence vary in relation to characteristics of the GP and their list-population.

Gender differences in disability after sickness absence with musculoskeletal disorders: five-year prospective study of 37,942 women and 26,307 men.

Background: Gender differences in the prevalence and occupational consequences of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are consistently found in epidemiological studies. The study investigated whether gender differences also exist with respect to chronicity, measured as the rate of transition from sickness absence into permanent disability pension (DP).

Methods: Prospective national cohort study in Norway including all cases with a spell of sickness absence > eight weeks during 1997 certified with a MSD, 37,942 women and 26,307 men.