Taking the next steps: identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in general practice
The general practice sector needs to collect the Indigenous status of patients in order to provide GP-mediated health interventions specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to provide Indigenous status data to national data collections. Effective Indigenous identification processes are not widespread in the sector and this undermines both service delivery and data collection. This report describes the problem and discusses how Indigenous identification could be improved.
General practice activity in Australia 2009-10
This report presents results from the twelfth year of BEACH program, a national study of general practice activity. From April 2009 to March 2010, 988 general practitioners recorded data about 98,800 GP-patient encounters involving the management of 155,373 problems. For an 'average' 100 encounters, GPs recorded 107 medications, 35 clinical treatments, 18 procedures, 9 referrals to specialists and 4 to allied health services, and ordered 45 pathology and 10 imaging tests.
General practice activity in Australia 2000-01 to 2009-10: 10 year data tables
This report presents results from the most recent 10 years (April 2000 to March 2010) of the BEACH program, a national cross-sectional study of general practice activity. During this time 9,842 GPs provided details of almost 1 million GP-patient encounters. Readers can review changes that have occurred over the decade in the characteristics of general practitioners and the patients they see; the problems managed; and the treatments provided. Changes in patients' body mass index, smoking status and alcohol use are described for a subsample of adult patients.
General practice activity in Australia 1999-00 to 2008-09: 10 year data tables
This report presents results from the most recent 10 years (April 1999 to March 2008) of the BEACH program, a national cross-sectional study of general practice activity. During this time 9,901 GPs provided details of almost 1 million GP-patient encounters. Readers can review changes that have occurred over the decade in the characteristics of general practitioners and the patients they see; the problems managed and the treatments provided. Changes in patients' body mass index, smoking status and alcohol use are described for a subsample of adult patients.
General practice activity in Australia 2008-09
This report presents results from the eleventh year of the BEACH program, a national study of general practice activity. From April 2008 to March 2009, 1,011 general practitioners recorded data about 101,100 GP-patient encounters involving the management of 149,462 problems. For an `average' 100 encounters, GPs recorded 106 medications, 34 clinical treatments, 17 procedures, 9 referrals to specialists and 4 to allied health services, and ordered 46 pathology and 10 imaging tests.
General practice in Australia, health priorities and policies 1998 to 2008
This report looks extensively at changes in the activities of GPs from 1998 to 2008 in the light of numerous government initiatives and changes in the GP workforce and in the population. It shows that GP activity generally correlates well with health policy initiatives and clinical guidelines, notably with Type 2 diabetes and the control of asthma and high blood cholesterol levels. In some areas, however, there is less evidence of an effect so far. The report also raises some potential concerns about the costs from the continued rapid growth in orders for pathology testing and the overall challenge for the GP workforce in dealing with an ageing population with complex needs. Edited by Britt H and Miller GC.
General practice activity in Australia 2007-08
This publication is the 22nd 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 tenth year of the BEACH program, April 2007 to March 2008. 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. The contribution of practice nurses to the GP-patient encounters in terms of their clinical activities, the problems they assist with and the Medicare items claimed, are described in this report. Information on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use for a subsample of patients is also provided.
General practice activity in Australia 1998-99 to 2007-08: 10 year data tables
This publication is the 23rd 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 presents results from each of the ten years of the BEACH program, April 1998 to March 2008. There have been 9,875 participating GPs who have provided details of almost 1 million GP-patient encounters, made up of ten annual samples of about 100,000 encounters records from around 1,000 randomly selected general practitioners. Results are provided for the more frequent events occurring in general practice in any of the ten years of the study. Readers can review changes that have occurred over the decade in the characteristics of general practitioners and the patients they see; the problems managed and the treatments provided. Information on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use for annual subsamples of patients in each year, 1998-99 to 2007-08, is provided.
General practice activity in Australia 2006-07
This publication is the 21st 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 ninth year of the BEACH program, April 2006 to March 2007. Data reported by 930 general practitioners on 93,000 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. Changes that have occurred over the last nine years of the BEACH study, from 1998-99 to 2006-07 are investigated. In addition, changes in the management of type 2 diabetes and depression from 1998-99 to 2006-07 are considered in light of changes in policy The contribution of practice nurses to the GP-patient encounters in terms of their clinical activities, the problems they assist with and the Medicare items claimed are described in this report. Information on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use for a subsample of patients is provided. Abstracts and research tools used in other BEACH substudies from 2006-07 are also included.
Patient-based substudies from BEACH: abstracts and research tools 1999-2006
Patient-based substudies from BEACH: abstracts and research tools 1999-2006 is the 20th report in the general practice series produced by the Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre, University of Sydney, a collaborating unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.This report includes abstracts for, and research tools used, in 104 general practice substudies conducted as part of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program. BEACH is a continuous national study of general practice activity. Since 1998 over 9,000 GPs have recorded details regarding approximately 900,000 GP-patient encounters on structured paper forms. The substudies are referred to as SAND (Supplementary Analysis of Nominated data). There is a SAND section at the bottom of every encounter form, in which we investigate aspects of patient health or health care delivery not covered by the encounter-based data.We hope that this report will assist GPs and other researchers by providing them with a wide range of tools that have demonstrated acceptability and utility, that are useable in the confines of general practice patient consultations, and which have already been approved by recognised ethics committees.
General practice activity in Australia 2005-06
This publication is the 19th 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 eighth year of the BEACH program, April 2005 to March 2006. Data reported by 1,017 general practitioners on 101,700 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. The contribution of practice nurses to the GP-patient encounters, in terms of their clinical activities, the problems they assist with and the Medicare items claimed, are described for the first time in this report. Information on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use of a subsample of patients is also provided. Changes that have occurred since 1999-00 are investigated. Data for each of the last 5 years of BEACH are summarised in the appendixes to this report.
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.
Locality matters: the influence of geography on general practice in Australia 1998-2004
Locality matters: the influence of geography on general practice in Australia 1998-2004 is the 17th in the General Practice Series produced by the Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre, University of Sydney, a collaborating unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.It reports results from six years of the BEACH program, April 1998 to March 2004, using data reported by 6019 GPs on 601,900 GP-patient encounters. Each of the seven geographical categories of the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) of Australia are compared with the national average, in terms of GP and patient characteristics, patient reasons for encounter, problems managed and treatments provided. Results are further analysed using the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Remoteness Structure. Summaries of results for each RRMA category and a summary of trends with increasing remoteness across ASGC categories are provided.
General practice activity in Australia 2003-04
This publication is the 16th 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 the results of the sixth year of the BEACH program, April 2003 to March 2004. Data reported by 1,000 general practitioners on 100,000 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 in relative rates of selected problems and management techniques between 1999-00 and 2003-04 are also investigated. Data for each of the last five years of BEACH are summarised in the appendix to this report.
General practice activity in the states and territories of Australia 1998-2003
This report provides the first picture of the activities of general practice in each state and territory of Australia, using a combination of BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) data for survey years 1998 to 2003. Results for each state and territory are reported in independent chapters and are described in terms of GP and patient characteristics, patient reasons for encounter, problems managed and management techniques used, along with information on selected patient health risk factors. Comparisons are made between each state and territory and the national average for the total 5 years.
General practice activity in Australia 2002-03
This publication reports the results of the fifth year of the BEACH program, April 2002 to March 2003. Data reported by 1,008 general practitioners on 100,800 GP-patient encounters are used to describe aspects of general practice in Australia: the general practitioners and their patients; the problems managed and the treatment provided. Information is also reported on body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use of a subsample of patients.For the period April 1998-March 2003, an overview of more than 5,000 encounters with Indigenous people provides an indication of the role of GPs in the provision of care to these people. Changes in relative rates of selected problems and management techniques are also investigated over this period. Data for each of the five years of BEACH are summarised in the appendix to this report.
Changes in pathology ordering by GPs in Australia 1998 to 2001
This report is a secondary analysis of data from the first three years of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program, April 1998-March 2001. This report is based on 98,400 encounter records from 984 GPs in 1998-1999, 104,700 from 1,047 GPs in 1999-00, and 99,900 from 999 GPs in 2000-01. It describes changes in the rates and patterns of pathology test ordering by GPs and investigates the extent to which these changes are related to changes in the characteristics of the GP population, the morbidity under management, other management behaviour and the length of consultation.
Older patients attending general practice in Australia 2000-02
This report is the first study of GP encounters with older patients in Australia. It is a secondary analysis of data from the third and fourth years of the BEACH program. It describes the characteristics of older patients and the content of their GP encounters. Comparisons are made between the encounters with patients aged 65-74 years, and those aged 75 years or more. Results are also compared with an earlier study conducted in 1990-91. This report examines the management rates and prevalence of the most common chronic conditions. The characteristics of the patients, their problems and management are also examined for encounters at which an Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) item was recorded.
Male consultations in general practice in Australia 1999-00
'Male consultations in general practice in Australia 1999-00' is a secondary analysis of data from the second year of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program, April 1999-March 2000. Based on 44,308 encounters with male patients and 59,366 encounters with female patients, it reports the characteristics of male patients who attended GPs in Australia, and the characteristics of these encounters. Comparisons are made between the encounters of male patients and female patients. The report also examines the age-related pattern of commonly managed problems and changes in management rates of specific illnesses across age groups at male patient encounters. Subsamples of encounters with male patients provide data on the management of work-related problems at GP encounters, and male patient body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use.
General practice activity in Australia 2001-02
This publication gives results of the fourth year of the BEACH program, April 2001 to March 2002. Data reported by 983 general practitioners on 98,300 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 sub sample of patients. An overview of almost 1,000 encounters with Indigenous patients provides an indication of the role of GPs in provision of care to these people. Changes in characteristics of GPs, their patients and the encounters are also report for the period April 1998 to March 2002.
Cardiovascular problems and risk behaviours among patients at general practice encounters in Australia 1998-00
This is a secondary analysis of data from the first two years of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program, April 1998-March 2002. Based on 203,100 encounters, it reports the characteristics of patients who attended encounters where cardiovascular problems were managed, and those of the GPs with whom these encounters occurred. Comparisons were made between the characteristics of these patients (cardiovascular patients) and their GPs and the characteristics of those at encounters where cardiovascular problems were not managed.
General practice activity in Australia 2000-01
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.
Imaging orders by general practitioners in Australia 1999-00
Reports the imaging ordered by general practitioners in Australia, as represented by a random sample of 1,047 GPs participating in the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program over a one-year period in 1999-00. Information about more than 100,000 GP-patient encounters was available for analysis.The report provides new insight into the relationship between GP characteristics, their ordering behaviour, the patients and the problems under investigation. It demonstrates that while in the majority GPs ordering follows the available guidelines, improvement in GP test selection and in the guidelines themselves would be desirable in some areas.
It's different in the bush, a comparison of general practice activity in metropolitan and rural areas of Australia 1998-2000
Gives a secondary analysis of data from the first two years of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program, April 1998 to March 2000. It reports differences in rural and metropolitan general practice based on information on over 200,000 GP-patient encounters from a random sample of 2,014 GPs.Comparisons are made in terms of characteristics of the general practitioners; types of services they provide; characteristics of the patients; problems managed at the GP-patient encounters and the management techniques adopted by the GPs.
General practice activity in Australia 1999-2000
This publication is the fifth 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 the results of the second year of the BEACH program, April 1999 to March 2000. Data reported by 1,047 general practitioners on 104,700 GP-patient encounters are used to describe aspects of general practice in Australia: the characteristics of general practitioners; the types of services they provide; the characteristics of patients who attend general practitioners; the problems managed at the GP-patient encounters and the management techniques adopted by the GPs. Information collected by the GPs on the wellbeing, body weight to height ratio, smoking status and alcohol use of sub-samples of patients are also included.
