Combining Multiple Prevention Strategies in one Health Questionnaire: A Pilot Study

General practitioners are confronted with many required preventive interventions. A solution to this problem is combining several interventions in one questionnaire. Almost no research exists on this subject. In this pilot feasibility study we examine whether a prevention strategy based on a questionnaire increases the number of preventive items in the patient’s records, and we examine the response rate when this questionnaire is given to patients during a routine consultation.An evidence based questionnaire containing 22 questions concerning 11 topics was used in a practice of general practitioners in a semi-rural community. 26 items were studied: the answers to the 22 aforementioned questions plus four more items relating to multiple questions. All were rated before and after the intervention using strict criteria.Of the 104 included patients 46 participated.After the intervention the availability of most items increased but it was only significant for eight items. This unique pilot study clearly shows us that a questionnaire which combines multiple prevention interventions improves the quality of our records. Handing over this questionnaire to patients during routine visits gives a high response rate.