Incidence of hand and wrist disorders in primary care.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of different types of hand and wrist disorders in primary care is unknown since there are no specific encodings for it. AIMS: To determine the overall incidence and the incidence of specific types of hand and wrist disorders in primary care. DESIGN & SETTING: A healthcare registration database from Dutch general practice, which contains medical records of over 200 000 patients and included approximately 25% of the population of the area of Rotterdam. METHOD: Patients aged ≥18 years with a new diagnosis of hand or wrist disorder from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019 were extracted using a search algorithm based on ICPC coding and search terms in free text. RESULTS: The mean incidence over the study period of a hand disorder was 5.9 per 1,000 persons-years and of a wrist disorder 0.3 per 1,000 persons-years. The incidence of trigger finger/thumb, fracture hand/finger, tendon/ligament tendinopathy, mallet finger and ligament injury hand/finger were 3 (2.69-3.15), 1 (1.03-1.33), 1 (0.98-1.28), 0.6 (0.48-0.69) and 0.1 (0.06-0.14) per 1,000 persons-years, respectively. The incidence of a wrist fracture and ligament injury were 0.2 (0.13-0.25) and 0.1 (0.04-0.12) per 1,000 persons-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a large difference between the number of patients presenting to the GP with hand and wrist complaints and the number of hand and wrist diagnosis reported in the medical files. Introducing specific ICPC codes for different types of hand and wrist disorders could (potentially) lead to a more accurate registration of a diagnosis and determination of the incidence figures.

Anxiety problems in children and adolescents: a population-based cohort study on incidence and management in Dutch primary care.

BACKGROUND: Due to a large strain on youth mental health care, general practice is suggested as an alternative treatment setting for children and adolescents with anxiety problems. However, research on the current management of these children and adolescents within general practice is scarce. AIM: To investigate the incidence of coded anxiety in general practice using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), and GPs' management of children and adolescents presenting with anxiety problems. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based cohort study using electronic medical records of 51 212 children (aged 0-17 years) in primary care in the Rotterdam region between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2018. METHOD: Incidence of ICPC codes for anxiety were calculated, then the characteristics of children and adolescents consulting their GP with anxiety and the GPs' management were assessed qualitatively using quantitative content analysis. RESULTS: Incidence of ICPC codes for anxiety in children and adolescents was 5.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.02 to 5.71) per 1000 person-years. Adolescent females had the highest incidence with 14.01 (95% CI = 12.55 to 15.58) per 1000 person-years. Of the 381 children and adolescents consulting their GP with an initial anxiety problem (median age 13.3 years, 40.4% male), GPs referred 59.3% to mental health care in the first year while 26.5% of children and adolescents were managed by a specialised practice nurse within general practice. Of the 381 children and adolescents, 10.5% received psychiatric medication during the first year, with the trend being for increased prescriptions during adolescence. CONCLUSION: In general practice children and adolescents frequently received one of two ICPC codes for anxiety, especially adolescent females. Most presenting to their GP with anxiety problems are referred externally or seen by a specialised practice nurse within general practice.

Incidence and management of Osgood-Schlatter disease in general practice: retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is a non-traumatic knee problem that is primarily observed in sports-active children and adolescents aged 8-15 years. AIM: To determine the incidence of OSD and to gain an insight into the management of children and adolescents with OSD in general practice. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a healthcare database containing full electronic health records of over 200 000 patients in general practice in and around the Dutch city of Rotterdam. METHOD: Patients with a new diagnosis of OSD from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2017 were extracted using a search algorithm based on International Classification of Primary Health Care coding and search terms in free text. Data on the management of OSD were manually interpreted. RESULTS: The mean incidence over the study period was 3.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.5 to 4.2) per 1000 person-years in those aged 8-18 years. Boys had a higher incidence rate of 4.9 (95% CI = 4.3 to 5.5) compared with girls (2.7, 95% CI = 2.3 to 3.2). Peak incidence was at 12 years of age for boys and 11 years for girls. Advice was the most commonly applied strategy (55.1%), followed by rest (21.0%), referral for imaging (19.5%), and physiotherapy (13.4%). CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, for the first time the incidence of OSD has been calculated using GP electronic medical files. There is a discrepancy, especially for imaging and referral to a medical specialist, between the current Dutch general practice guidelines and how GPs actually manage the condition in clinical practice.