Definition of polyconsultant patients in primary health care using Data Science

Reynaldos-Grandón K.; Rojas-Ávila J.; Aguayo Villegas D.; Cortez-Pinto E.; Ureta-Achurra J.; Cubas-Sancho J. · Atencion Primaria (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2026.103524

Resumen

Introduction The concept of frequent patients (FP) has been approached from different perspectives: economic, efficiency, opportunity, effectiveness, and impact on resources allocated to healthcare. The various definitions of FP are associated with frequencies or percentiles of consultations in health services, within a specific period, but standardized within that range. Objective To generate a dynamic definition of FP for the High-Resolution Emergency Primary Care Service (SAR) using Data Science. Methodology Quantitative, descriptive, retrospective research using secondary data from patients treated in a SAR in Chile, employing Data Science. Results 174,593 patient visits were analyzed, corresponding to 55,715 patients. Text, categorical, and numerical variables were used in univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. A patient FP was identified as someone who attends more than once every two months, meaning they consult ≥ 7 times per year. Using clustering, over 90% of FPs were identified, with 9.1 visits, an average duration of 0.5 hours, frequent visits to the system every 40.3 days, an average age of 34.3 years, and a discharge diagnosis classified in ICD-10 Family «J». Conclusions This type of segmentation using text, categorical, and numerical variables allows for a dynamic approach to the concept of FP, using Data Science based on the distributional configuration of the study population. These results are relevant for decision-making, considering the context and characteristics of the population, to optimize system resources according to the dynamics of society in a given geographic area.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos