Impact of a patient education intervention on appropriate utilization of clinic services.

BACKGROUND Patient education interventions have been identified as a means of decreasing the utilization of ambulatory services; however, research on the impact of self-care initiatives should also assess changes in the appropriateness of patient visits. METHODS New patients to the Family Practice Clinic at a university medical center were randomized into control and experimental groups. Experimental patients received the Family Practice Clinic Patient Medical Advisor Booklet and an educational presentation. Controls received the booklet without the educational intervention. RESULTS Over the subsequent year, there were no significant differences in the total number of visits or telephone calls to the Family Practice Clinic by either group. The total number of visits to other medical center clinics and the emergency department was also similar. The experimental group, however, showed a statistically higher percentage of appropriate Family Practice Clinic visits, and their telephone calls to the clinic for advice tended to be more appropriate. Finally, experimental group patients had a significantly higher percentage of appropriate visits to the emergency department than did control group patients. CONCLUSIONS Although this educational intervention did not change the total number of patient visits or telephone calls, it did have an impact on the appropriateness of patient utilization of health care services.