General practice activity in Australia 2004-05

This publication is the 18th in the General Practice Series produced by the Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre, a Collaborating Unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the University of Sydney. It reports the results of the seventh year of the BEACH program, April 2004 to March 2005. Data reported by 953 general practitioners on 95,300 GP-patient encounters are used to describe aspects of general practice in Australia: the general practitioners and their patients; the problems managed and the treatments provided. Information is also reported on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use of a subsample of patients. Changes that have occurred since 1998-99 are investigated. Aspects of the management of psychological problems, asthma, arthritis, lipid disorders and injuries are examined in greater detail. Data for each of the last five years of BEACH are summarised in the appendices to this report.