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released: 12 Dec 2001 author: Britt H, Miller GC, Knox S, Charles J, Valenti L, Henderson J, Kelly Z & Pan Y media release

This publication is the eighth in the General Practice Series produced by the General Practice Statistics and Classification Unit, a Collaborating Unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and The University of Sydney. It reports results of the third year of the BEACH program, April 2000 to March 2001. Data reported by 999 general practitioners on 99,900 GP-patient encounters are used to describe aspects of general practice in Australia: the characteristics of the general practitioners and their patients; the types of services the GPs provide; the problems managed and the treatments provided at encounters. Information is also reported on patient body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use of sub-samples of patients. Changes in the relative rates of management of specific morbidities and changes in management techniques adopted by GPs are investigated, for the period April 1998-March 2001, the first three years of the BEACH program.

ISSN 1442 3022; ISBN 978 1 74024 155 7; Cat. no. GEP 8; 176pp.; OUT OF PRINT

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General practice activity in Australia 2000-01

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (41K PDF)
    • Half title page and verso
    • Title page and verso
    • Foreword
    • Contents
    • List of tables and figures
    • Summary (separate 17K PDF)
    • Acknowledgments
  • Sections 1-8 (108K PDF)
    1. Introduction
      1. Aims
    2. Methods
      1. Sampling methods
      2. Recruitment methods
      3. Data elements
      4. The BEACH relational database
      5. Statistical methods
      6. Classification of data
      7. Quality assurance
      8. Validity and reliability
    3. The general practitioners
      1. Results of recruitment
      2. The participating GPs
      3. Comparison of participating and non-participating GPs
      4. Discussion
    4. Representativeness
      1. Comparison of BEACH GPs and the national GP population
      2. Sample weights
      3. Comparison of BEACH consultations and all GP consultations in Australia
      4. The weighted data set
    5. The encounters
      1. Overview of the data set.
      2. Encounter type
    6. The patients
      1. Patient characteristics
      2. Number of patient reasons for encounter
      3. Nature of patient reasons for encounter
      4. Significant changes over the years 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01
    7. Problems managed
      1. Number of problems managed at encounter
      2. Nature of morbidity
      3. Changes in annual rates of problems managed over the years 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01
    8. Overview of management
  • Sections 9-16 (199K PDF)
    1. Medications
      1. Source of medications
      2. Prescribed medications
      3. Medications advised for over-the-counter purchase
      4. Medications supplied by general practitioners
      5. Changes in medication rates between 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01
    2. Non-pharmacological management
      1. Clinical treatments
      2. Procedures
    3. Referrals and admissions
      1. Number of referrals and admissions
      2. Most frequent referrals
      3. Problems that were referred
      4. Changes in referral rates over time
    4. Investigations
      1. Pathology ordering
      2. Imaging ordering
      3. Other investigations ordered
    5. Patient risk factors
      1. Background
      2. Methods
      3. Body mass index
      4. Smoking
      5. Alcohol use
      6. Changes in patient health risk factors over the years 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01
    6. Selected topics -- changes over time
      1. Method
      2. Anti-depressant medications and management of psychological problems over time
      3. Lipid-lowering agents and management of lipid disorders over time
      4. Asthma inhalant medications and the management of asthma problems over time
      5. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the management of arthritis and other musculoskeletal problems
    7. Discussion
      1. Overview of results
      2. Methodological issues
      3. Comparing BEACH data with those from other sources
    8. Conclusion
      1. Current status of BEACH
      2. Access to BEACH data
  • End matter (201K PDF)
    • Bibliography
    • Glossary
    • Abbreviations
    • Appendixes
      1. Example of a recording form
      2. GP characteristics questionnaire 2000-01
      3. Reasons for encounter and problems managed -- code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS
      4. Clinical treatment -- code groups from ICPC-2 PLUS
      5. Procedural treatment -- code groups from ICPC-2 PLUS
      6. Referrals -- code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS
      7. Pathology test orders -- code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS
      8. Imaging test orders -- Australian MBS groups and their ICPC-2 PLUS codes and terms
      9. Other investigations -- ICPC-2 PLUS codes and terms

Recommended citation

Britt H, Miller GC, Knox S, Charles J, Valenti L, Henderson J, Kelly Z & Pan Y 2001. General practice activity in Australia 2000-01. General Practice Series 8. Cat. no. GEP 8. Canberra: AIHW.