Patient-sharing networks among Finnish primary healthcare professionals taking care of patients with mental health or substance use problems: a register study
Objectives Patient-sharing networks based on administrative data are used to understand the organisation of healthcare. We examined the patient-sharing networks between different professionals taking care of patients with mental health or substance use problems. Design Register study based on the Register of Primary Health Care visits (Avohilmo) that covers all outpatient primary health care visits in Finland. Setting We used the register data covering the visits for the service providers of seven municipalities, adult patients with at least one visit to a health and social service centre within one of the municipalities and visits during the year 2021. Participants We first selected patients with mental health or substance use problems based on psychiatric diagnoses and information on service type and then identified the professionals (N=1566) visited. A patient-sharing relationship was defined between two professionals if a same patient had visited both of them at least once. Primary
