It's not only the patients in GP surgeries who are getting
older, according to two new reports released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian
General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre, an AIHW
collaborating unit located at the University of Sydney.
'Some of the most noticeable changes in general practice over
the last decade include the decreasing proportion of younger GPs, a
growing proportion of female GPs, a decline in the number of small
practices, a decline in prescriptions and a steady increase in
pathology testing,' Professor Helena Britt said.
General practice activity in Australia 1998-99 to 2007-08:
10 year data tables shows that in a decade the proportion of
female GPs increased from 30% to almost 37%, GPs in solo practice
halved and the proportion in smaller practices of 2-4 GPs also
decreased considerably.
'The proportion of GPs who are aged 55 years and over increased
from 25% to 34% - so about one third are now nearing retirement
age,' Professor Britt said.
Likewise, older patients are taking up an increasing proportion
of the GP workload. The proportion of consultations with patients
45 years and older increased from 48% to 55%.
The report also found that the overall rate of medications
prescribed, recommended or supplied by GPs declined significantly,
with almost 8 million fewer prescriptions written by in 2007-08
than a decade earlier.
'However, this is partly due to an increasing proportion of
prescriptions for which five repeats are being given,' Professor
Britt said.
The frequency of managing chronic problems rose over the ten
year period covered in the report - most notably for conditions
such as high blood pressure, depression, cholesterol problems,
osteoarthritis and diabetes.
The increase equates to almost 9 million additional visits for
chronic problems in 2007-08.
A 45% increase in pathology test orders in the last decade
partly reflects the increasing management of chronic
conditions.
'Many patients on medication for chronic diseases need to be
monitored regularly,' she said.
General practice activity in Australia 2007-08
describes general practice activity based on a sample of 95,300
patient encounters with 953 randomly selected GPs.
General practice activity in Australia 1998-99 to 2007-08:
10 year data tables, highlights changes over the last 10 years
in GP demand and workload.
Friday 3 October 2008
Further information: Professor Helena Britt,
mob. 0411 197 938.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for the availability of the printed report, General practice
activity in Australia 2007-08, and the internet only
report General
practice activity in Australia 1998-99 to 2007-08: 10 year data
tables.