Changes in pathology ordering by GPs in Australia 1998 to 2001

General practice series no. 13

Full publication

• Changes in pathology ordering by GPs in Australia 1998 to 2001 (536K PDF)

Publication table of contents

• Preliminary material (173K PDF)
  • Title page and verso
  • Contents
  • Foreword
  • List of tables
  • List of figures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Summary 
• Sections (351K PDF)
  1.  Introduction
     • Background
     • Aims
  2. Methods
     • BEACH methods
     • Statistical methods
     • The final data sets
  3. Changes over time in GP pathology ordering rates
     • Changes in total pathology ordering rates over time
     • Changes in pathology ordering rates over time excluding Pap smears
  4. Changes over time in the characteristics of GPs
     • Changes in the characteristics of BEACH participants over time
     • Changes in the characteristics of GPs in the national sample frame over time
  5. GP characteristics and pathology ordering rates
     • Pathology test rates over all encounters and all problems 
     • Pathology test ordering rates after the decision to order pathology
     • Summary of findings
     • Do any changes in GP age and sex over time explain the increase in pathology test orders over the same period?
  6. The purpose for which pathology tests are ordered 
     • Distribution and rates of pathology tests by class
     • The proportion of problems tested in each class
     • Discussion
  7. Pathology ordering and problems managed
     • Pathology test ordering rates for selected problems over time
     • Problems most likely to generate 4 or 5 test orders, over time
  8. The relationship between pathology ordering and other management
     • The relationship between pathology ordering and prescribing
     • The relationship between imaging and pathology ordering
     • The relationship between therapeutic procedures and pathology orders over time
     • The relationship between provision of clinical treatments and pathology ordering
     • Conclusion
  9. The relationship between length of consultation and pathology ordering 
     • Pathology ordering and Medicare item number recorded 
     • Length of consultation (in minutes) and pathology ordering rates
  10. Analysis of variance in pathology ordering rates 
      •  Univariate analysis 
      • Multiple regression modelling
  11. Discussion
  12. Conclusion
• End matter (286K PDF)
  •  References
  •  Glossary
  •  Abbreviations
  •  Appendices
    • Appendix 1: Example of a recording form (1998-99)
    • Appendix 2: GP characteristics questionnaire (1998-99)
    • Appendix 3: Code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS used in this report