General Practice Activity in Australia 2003-04

General Practice Series No. 16

Full publication  (1.2M PDF)

• Errata (122K PDF) ¹

• Preliminary material (195K PDF)
  • Half title, title and verso pages
  • Foreword
  • Contents
  • List of tables
  • List of figures
  • Acknowledgments
  • Summary
• Sections 1-7 (316K PDF)
  1. Introduction
     1. The advantages of BEACH
     2. 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. Computer use at GP practices
     4. Comparison of participating and non-participating GPs
     5. Discussion
     6. Trends in characteristics of GPs
  4. Representativeness
     1. Comparison of BEACH GPs with GP population
     2. Sample weights
     3. Comparison of BEACH consultations with all GP consultations in Australia
     4. The weighted data set
  5. The encounters
     1. Overview of the data set
     2. Encounter type
     3. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  6. The patients
     1. Patient characteristics
     2. Patient reasons for encounter
     3. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  7. Problems managed
     1. Number of problems managed at encounter
     2. Age-sex-specific rates of problems managed
     3. Nature of morbidity
     4. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
• Sections 8-13 (395K PDF)
  8. Overview of management
  9. Medications
     1. Source of medications
     2. Prescribed medications
     3. Medications advised for over-the-counter purchase
     4. Medications supplied by GPs
     5. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  10. Non-pharmacological management
      1. Number of non-pharmacological treatments
      2. Clinical treatments
      3. Procedural treatments
      4. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  11. Referrals and admissions
      1. Number of referrals and admissions
      2. Most frequent referrals
      3. Problems that were referred
      4. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  12. Investigations
      1. Pathology ordering
      2. Imaging ordering
      3. 12.3 Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  13. Selected topics-changes over time
      1. Method
      2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the management of arthritis and other musculoskeletal problems
      3. Anti-depressant medications and the management of psychological problems over time
      4. Asthma inhalant medications and management of asthma problems over time
      5. Lipid lowering agents and the management of lipid disorders over time
      6. The management of diabetes over time
• Sections 14-16 (223K PDF)
  14. Patient risk factors
      1. Background
      2. Methods
      3. Body mass index
      4. Smoking
      5. Alcohol consumption
      6. Risk factor profile of adult patients
      7. Changes from 1999-00 to 2003-04
  15. Discussion
      1. Methodological issues
      2. Comparing BEACH data with those from other sources
  16. Conclusion
      1. Current status of BEACH
      2. Access to BEACH data
• End matter (references, glossary and abbreviations) (171K PDF)
  • References
  • Glossary
  • Abbreviations
• End matter (appendixes) (670K PDF)
  • Appendixes
    1. Example of a 2003-04 recording form
    2. GP characteristics questionnaire for 2003-04
    3. Code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS
    4. Chronic code groups from ICPC-2 and ICPC-2 PLUS
    5. Summary of annual results 1999-00 to 2003-04
    6. Dissemination of results from the BEACH program

Notes and corrections

1. There has been an update to the introduction and to table 7.4. (7 June 2005)