A study this year (Montag, 2024) has revealed the true benefits of seeing the same GP over time.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Insead business school found that there was a range of benefits when patients have a long-term relationship with their doctor.
Seeing the same doctor during GP visits – a model known as continuity of care – meant people waited on average 18 per cent longer between visits, compared with patients who saw different doctors.
People did not take up more GP time in each consultation and the findings were particularly strong for older patients, those with multiple chronic illnesses, and people with mental health conditions.
For the study, published in the journal Management Science, experts analysed more than 10 million GP consultations in 381 practices in England over a period of 11 years.
The study noted that:
If physicians provide high-quality care to their regular patients, they are likely to keep them healthier, which reduces the demand for consultations and increases their capacity to serve more patients.”
Co-author Professor Stefan Scholtes, from Cambridge Judge Business School, said seeing the same doctor could have substantial benefits, equivalent to increasing the GP workforce by 5 per cent.
