House calls in Lebanon.

Sarru E. Abyad A.
Family Practice. 1999, Vol 15, No 6. PP 571-575.

Background: Home health services are important in decreasing hospital admission and physician's medical house call plays an integral part of home health services. There is no national survey of physicians house call practice in Lebanon. The aim of the study is to provide some informations about house call practice in Lebanon.
Method: Data on patients examined during house call visit between first of January till end of December 1995 were reviewed. Results: During this period 137 patients were seen at their home. Eighty four patients (62%) were females , and fifty three patients (38%) were males. Age ranged from 1 to 85 years. The number of cases seen in one month averaged 11 cases/month.
The diagnosis differed according to the age group of patients examined. Most of the house call visits occurred between 6.30 p.m. to 12.00 p.m. (47%). Fifteen patients (11%) were admitted to the hospital.
Conclusion: The rate of cases per month was similar to other repots. Physicians might feel reluctant to conduct house calls during off hours"odd" hours . Our study revealed that majority of patients were seen between 6 p.m. and 12 p.m. , and only 6% were seen after 12 a.m. It is our belief that house calls form an integral part of family practice and need to be stressed during residency programs of all primary care physicians .