ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a more detailed understanding of the changing level of demand and of the factors which have influenced doctors’ willingness to supply services. In fact supply and demand for healthcare are not independent, but are inextricably linked. Accurate information about the demand for care is an essential prerequisite for the planning of appropriate services. In planning out-of-hours service, it is important to note that certain patient groups generate a large proportion of the primary care workload in the out-of-hours period. The most common problems presented to out-of-hours primary care services are: respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and vomiting, children with earache and minor injuries. Primary care is provided not only by general practitioners but also by hospital accident and emergency departments, ambulance services, pharmacists and community nurses. The chapter discusses that importance of understanding patients’ health beliefs in determining whether an illness results in a call for professional help or whether it is managed at home.
