An analysis of patient house calls in the area of Attica, Greece

BACKGROUND Physicians house calls to patients have been declining in many countries of the world. The objective of this study was to describe the patterns of utilization of house call services provided by SOS doctors in the area of Attica, Greece. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of data regarding house call visits of patients in the area of Attica (metropolitan area of Athens and surrounding cities), Greece. Characteristics of patients who received house call services by a physician, including diagnosis, and recommended management plan, including advice for hospitalization were analyzed. RESULTS SOS doctors in the area of Attica, Greece performed 98,009 house calls during the 5-year study period (1/11/2000-31/10/2005). Patients older than 65 years requested 47.8% of the house calls. Females requested more house calls during the studied period compared to males (59.4% versus 40.6%, p < 0.001). The majority of the diagnoses (18.4%) were infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. 9.1% of patients were advised after the evaluation at home to be admitted to a hospital to receive inpatient services. CONCLUSION Our analysis documents the utilization of house calls by SOS doctors in the area of Attica, Greece during a 5-year period. We believe that house calls provided by individual practitioners, physician group practices, or organized companies and organizations should re-gain their well-deserved position in the modern health care systems.