THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AT A JAPANESE SEASIDE CLINIC

[Introduction] Beginning patients physician relationship is that listening to chief complaint of them. Previous data demonstrates the relevance between weather and diseases. Our purpose is to reveal the relevance between atmospheric phenomena and complaints. [Objectives] We observed and analyzed the number and complaints of patients visiting the clinic. [Methods] We conducted a descriptive epidemiological study at Uchiumi Clinic in Japan from November 2014 to January 2016. We extracted data of 1849 patients and coded the consultation reasons with the factor 1 of International Classification of Primary Care, Second edition (ICPC-2). Furthermore, we analyzed the relevance between complaints at a Japanese seaside clinic and the weather data from Japan Meteorological Agency and microfine particulate matter (PM2.5) data from Ehime Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Science. In addition, we compared the results with those from previous studies. [Results] The total number of complaints was 2553. Age ranged from 0 to 102 years (average, 67.5 years). The number of females was 1106 (59.8%) and that of males was 743 (40.2%). Most complaints were from those in their 80s (29.3%). The major classes of complaints was R (Respiratory) 27.2%. There was no relationship among the total number of complaints, each classification, and various atmospheric fator, e.g. PM2.5, average humidity (%), diurnal range in temperature or atmospheric pressure (hPa). [Conclusions] In one Japanese seaside clinic, the results of this study are in line with those of previous studies with regard to the main complaint by disease classification, there is no similarity in relation to atmospheric phenomena.