Descriptive Analysis of the First 12-Month Activity of Docadom, a Private Physician-Led Urgent In-Home Consultation Service

Background: Emergency services in urban areas are overcrowded due to a rise in mild-to-moderate acuity consultations, and physician-led home visits are less common. In response, a home-based urgent care model in an urban setting (Docadom) was developed. Consultation requests via a dedicated mobile application or phone call are triaged by a trained emergency nurse. Physicians travel to the patient via an electric cargo bike that has storage for medical equipment. During home visits, physicians perform testing/diagnosis and advanced procedures (e.g., intravenous medication delivery) and prescribe treatment (if needed). This descriptive analysis reports activities during the first 12 months of Docadom. Methods: Data from all patients seen during the first 12 months of Docadom activity (1 May 2023–30 April 2024) were analysed. Outcomes analysed included: age, sex, diagnosis, and whether the patient was referred to the hospital. Patient satisfaction (from 1 [worst] to 5 [best]) is also reported. Each outcome was analysed in two subgroups based on patient age (<75 or ≥75 years) because the Swiss health insurance system distinguishes between these two age groups, using Wilcoxon or chi-square tests as appropriate. Results: A total of 1736 patients requested a consultation (66% female; median age 70 years [interquartile range 36, 84]; 43% aged ≥75 years). The five most frequent clinical presentations were: ear, nose and throat infection, epistaxis and bronchitis (25.7%); soft tissue trauma (7.8%); acute cervical or lower back pain syndrome (5.6%); gastroenteritis and dehydration (5.0%); and cancer and general decline in the elderly (4.6%). Only 4.7% of the patients were referred to the hospital. The mean satisfaction score was 4.97 (response rate: 207/422 patients [49%] who requested a consultation via the app). Conclusions: These data highlight the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based urgent care model in an urban setting. The service effectively addressed a wide range of acute conditions, especially in elderly patients. The low hospital referral rate and high patient satisfaction are encouraging, but as a single-arm descriptive analysis without post-consultation outcome data or a comparator group, this study cannot establish clinical safety or an effect on emergency department use; these questions require a future comparative study.