RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To discover the family characteristics of overusers of a family medical practice. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Sonseca Health Centre (Toledo). PARTICIPANTS: Overusers of the health services at a family medical practice. Variables of structure, family function and their use were studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The family type of the overusers was described as a nuclear family (61.11%), formed by 2-4 members (76.39%) in a period of decline in their life cycle (72.22%), with a certain level of familial dysfunction (13.4%) and overuse of the health services (70.49%). All these findings concurred with data published on the question. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated the importance of tackling the family as a whole within the primary care field and the relevance of studies which investigate the relationship between family variables and use of services.