Why lonely people are no bother to GPs
They don't waste their doctor’s time anymore than anybody else
19th March 2018
The view that lonely older people consult their GP more often than necessary is debunked by a large study of 26,000 people.
The UK researchers say they found no link between loneliness and inappropriate visits or more emergency department presentations.
But they did find strong evidence to suggest lonely people are readmitted to hospital more often and tend to stay longer than their socially connected counterparts.
The researchers point out their work does not invalidate research that links social relationships to worse physical and mental health outcomes