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General practitioners (GPs) are often the first point of contact for people who develop COPD.
According to the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) survey, the rate of general practice encounters per 100 population where COPD was a problem managed, fell significantly from 15.8 in 2000–01 to 13.9 in 2009–10, although the rate has remained relatively stable in recent years.
In recent years, men aged 55 and over are considerably more likely than their female counterparts to have COPD managed at a GP encounter.
Source tables
Table 1: General practice encounters for COPD, 55 years and over, April 2000 to March 2010
| Year |
GP encounters
for COPD
per 100 GP encounters |
95%
confidence interval |
Total annual
GP attendances |
Population |
GP encounters
for COPD
per 100 population |
95%
confidence interval |
| 2000–01 |
2.0 |
1.8–2.2 |
33,777,348 |
4,200,565 |
15.7 |
14.2–17.3 |
| 2001–02 |
1.9 |
1.7–2.0 |
34,073,184 |
4,339,239 |
14.6 |
13.1–16.0 |
| 2002–03 |
1.9 |
1.6–2.1 |
34,826,350 |
4,481,628 |
14.4 |
12.8–16.0 |
| 2003–04 |
1.7 |
1.6–1.9 |
35,030,365 |
4,617,212 |
13.2 |
12.0–14.5 |
| 2004–05 |
1.8 |
1.6–2.0 |
35,926,368 |
4,750,147 |
13.8 |
12.2–15.4 |
| 2005–06 |
1.7 |
1.5–1.9 |
36,633,762 |
4,887,073 |
12.9 |
11.6–14.3 |
| 2006–07 |
2.0 |
1.8–2.1 |
37,250,864 |
5,025,287 |
14.5 |
13.1–15.8 |
| 2007–08 |
1.7 |
1.6–1.9 |
38,167,618 |
5,171,258 |
12.9 |
11.6–14.2 |
| 2008–09 |
1.8 |
1.6–1.9 |
40,099,090 |
5,316,787 |
13.3 |
12.1–14.6 |
| 2009–10 |
1.8 |
1.7–2.0 |
41,364,952 |
5,468,495 |
13.9 |
12.6–15.3 |
Notes
1. COPD classified according to ICPS-2 codes R79001, R79003 and R95.
2. Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) year is April to March.
Source: BEACH survey of General Practice and Medicare Australia.
Table 2: General practice encounters for COPD by sex, April 2000 to March 2010
|
GP encounters
for COPD
per 100 population |
95%
confidence interval |
| Men |
15.2 |
14.1–16.3 |
| Women |
11.7 |
10.8–12.6 |
Note: COPD classified according to ICPC-2 codes R79001, R79003 and R95.
Source: BEACH survey of General Practice and Medicare Australia, April 2007 to March 2010.