Healthcare
Continuity of Care Associated with Improved Health Care Outcomes
By American Academy of Family Physicians
Mar 30, 2005, 06:22

While the discipline of family medicine has always been predicated on a core assumption that interpersonal continuity of care � the ongoing relationship between an individual doctor and patient � is important, individual studies measuring its impact on health care outcomes and cost have yielded conflicting results.

In a critical review that synthesizes the findings of 41 research studies, researchers found a significant association between interpersonal continuity and improved preventive care and lower rates of hospitalization.

Although even fewer studies addressing the association between continuity and cost exist, a review of 20 studies found an association between interpersonal continuity and lower cost variables.

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