Summary
Each individual in a random sample of recognised GPs records details of 100 consecutive GP–patient encounters of all types (including indirect consultations which resulted in clinical action) on structured paper encounter forms. In a full-data collection year 1,000 GPs will participate and this will provide details of approximately 100,000 encounters.
Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Human Ethics Committee of the University of Sydney and the Health Ethics Committee of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The BEACH program began on 1 April 1998. Data from the first six months have been entered, cleaned and analysed.
Preliminary material (22kB PDF): Foreword; List of tables; Acknowledgments
Background (19kB PDF)
- Australian general practice data
- BEACH: Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health
Method (34kB PDF)
- Summary
- Data elements
- The GP sample
- Data collection
- Data entry and classification
- Statistical methods
- Limitations of BEACH
- Data output
- Interim sampling results
Interim summary of results (34kB PDF)
- The participating general practitioners
- Encounters
Discussion (15kB PDF)
- Access to the BEACH data
- Conclusion
Appendixes
Appendix 1 (107kB PDF)
Appendix 2 (62kB PDF)
Appendix 3 (271kB PDF)
Appendix 4 (392kB PDF)
End matter: Glossary and abbreviations (20kB PDF); References (7kB PDF)