Norwegian Acute Specialist Contacts Following Primary Care Visits, 2012–2021

Målfrid A. Nummedal's registry-based cohort study analyzes trends in acute specialist contacts following primary care visits in Norway from 2012 to 2021. It includes 12.2 million acute specialist contacts, with incidence rates calculated per 1,000 person-years. The data shows an 18.5% increase in acute specialist contacts following a primary care contact over the decade.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in acute specialist contact incidence rates based on the reported per 1,000 person-year figures.
• Compare referral patterns from out-of-hours services versus GP services based on the differing trends described.
• Model healthcare utilization across demographic groups based on the description of consistent trends observed.
• Study the gatekeeping role of primary care in acute patient pathways as described in the study context.

Strengths

• Based on a national registry covering all Norwegian citizens from 2012 to 2021.
• Analyzes 12.2 million acute specialist contacts with clear categorization of preceding primary care contact types.
• Provides specific incidence rate figures, including a reported 18.5% increase over the study period.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to figshare, being specific to Norway.

Provenance

Source

Målfrid A. Nummedal

Collection Method

Registry-based cohort study using national data.

Time Range

2012–2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-02 23:14:43; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Norway