Seeing the same doctor each time you need medical care, can reduce your death risk, according to research. Of course, this is if the doctor is good and listens to you.
Keeping the Same Doctor Can Reduce Death Risk
Previous studies have shown that continuity of care is linked to several benefits. This can include patients following medical advice more closely, better uptake of vaccines and other preventive measures, and fewer emergency hospital admissions.
Researchers are now saying that benefits also appear to exist for mortality. They are saying the bond between patients and their doctors might be even more important than we thought.
“Basically we are saying that at a time when the emphasis in the reports in the press are all about new machines and new technology, that this is an article that shows the human side of medicine is still very important and even a matter of life and death.” Sir Denis Pereira Gray: first author of the research studies
Writing in the journal BMJ Open, Gray and colleagues from the University of Exeter and University of Manchester hunted through previously published research to unearth studies with data on whether patients saw the same doctor, as well as info on mortality.
The team discovered 22 studies that fit this criterion that were published since 2010. They took place in 9 different countries ranging from the US to South Korea.
The team found 18 of the studies showed a marked link between continuity of care and lower death rates.
Research Limitations
The authors do say the study doesn’t show that seeing the same doctor is what is driving the reduction in mortality. The research also has several limitations. Among them are that many of the studies involved looking at patient records, rather than recruiting and then following individuals over time.
Not all the studies took into account the whole range of other possible influences such as age, sex, smoking status, and socioeconomic status.
Also, as individuals become sicker or have many different health problems, they may need to see more doctors. This can also increase their risk of death.
More research needs to be done before anything is certain.
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