A picture of the care provided by general practitioners in each
state and territory of Australia is available for the first time,
with the release today of a new report from the University of
Sydney and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
General practice activity in the states and territories of
Australia 1998-2003 is based on five years of data collected
through the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health)
national data collection program from 5,021 GPs on more than
500,000 GP-patient encounters. The report presents information on
GP and patient characteristics, reasons for patient visits,
problems managed and management techniques used.
Director of the AIHW's General Practice Statistics and
Classification Unit at the University of Sydney, Professor Helena
Britt, said despite differences in the characteristics of GPs,
patients and climates across Australia, the work of GPs around the
country was remarkably consistent.
'However, we found some interesting variations between states.
For example, people in New South Wales (NSW) attended a GP most
often at 5.2 visits per year, though its population is not the
oldest. People in the Northern Territory (NT) attended a GP on
average 2.6 times per year, well below the national average of 4.9
visits.'
Problems most often managed by GPs were respiratory-related, at
a rate of 22 per 100 encounters nationally - most frequently
managed in the ACT and least often in Tasmania.
'Circulatory problems were also managed frequently across the
country, but NSW and Victoria had the highest rate, with 18 per 100
encounters involving circulatory problems,' Professor Britt
said.
'Psychological problems were managed more often in Victoria and
endocrine problems, such as diabetes, more often in South Australia
and Queensland.'
GPs in NSW prescribed more medications than average, at 95 per
100 encounters, compared with the national average of 89. In
contrast, GPs in the ACT prescribed at only 79 per 100 visits.
Rates of referrals to specialists and allied health
professionals were fairly consistent across Australia, while
WA-based GPs ordered significantly more pathology tests than
average and those in Queensland did more procedural work.
GPs in the ACT were more often female (50%), only 3% usually
worked more than 10 sessions a week, and they were younger than
average. Conversely, South Australia had the lowest proportion of
females at 28% and the highest proportion working more than 10
sessions a week.
Half of the patients seen in Tasmania held a Commonwealth
concession card, but only 24% of NT patients had a health card.
Only 1% of Tasmanian patients were from a non-English speaking
background, compared with 12% of patients seen in NSW.
5 October 2004
Further information: A/Professor Helena Britt,
0411 197 938 or 02 9845 8150
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
To view Fact Sheets summarising GP activity for
each state and territory, use the links below:
ACT Fact
Sheet, NSW Fact
Sheet, NT Fact
Sheet, QLD Fact
Sheet,
SA Fact Sheet, TAS Fact Sheet, VIC Fact Sheet, WA Fact Sheet
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of General practice activity in
the states and territories of Australia 1998-2003, October
2004.