Why do patients attend out-of-hours GP services in Ireland?

Background: The attendance at out-of-hours GP services in Ireland has increased over the last number of years. However, the reasons for the increased demand have not been explored in the literature.

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to the use of out-of-hours GP services in Ireland from the patient's perspective.

Methods: A survey was designed and piloted prior to distribution. The survey was completed by patients attending an out-of-hours GP treatment centre in Cork, Ireland over a four-month period. Using a combination of forced choice items, free text boxes and five-point Likert scales, questions explored the reasons for attendance and experiences of patients with the out of hours service. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data on MS Excel.

Results: 80 people completed the survey. 75% (60/80) of participants stated that they had not attempted to contact their GP prior to contacting the out-of-hours centre. 49% (39/80) contacted the out-of-hours service as they felt that their issue was urgent. 36% (29/80) stated that they were unable to obtain an appointment with their GP and 15% (12/80) stated that the out-of-hours service was more convenient than regular GP hours. 29% (23/80) had symptoms for more than 4 days prior to contacting out-of-hours. The most common presentation was coryzal and upper respiratory tract symptoms, grouped collectively as 'Ear Nose and Throat' (ENT) symptoms at 34% (27/80).

Conclusions: This study provides insight into the factors driving patient attendance at the out-of-hours GP service in Ireland. These factors include perceived urgency of symptoms, an inability to obtain an appointment with their own GP and in some cases, the convenience of out-of-hours services. There is a demand for targeted patient educational campaigns and increased resourcing for GP services during the daytime to reduce reliance on out-of-hours GP services.