Abstract Description
Title: Poor access to General Practitioners (GP’s) in the community overburdening Regional Emergency Departments (EDs): An Audit
Authors: Dr Ian Mackay 1, Ms Zahra Hosseinzadeh 1, Dr Maryam Hosseinzadeh 2
Affiliations: 1 Queensland Health, 2 St Vincents, Melbourne
Background
Rockhampton Hospital is a regional hospital with a capacity of 331 beds, the largest hospital in its district. The number of emergency department (ED) presentations has been increasing across the country and the state (1)(2). There is a known lack of access of GP services in regional towns which is potentially leading to an increased strain on ED services (3).
Objectives
The primary objectives were to:
- Identify the proportion of patients presenting to the Rockhampton Hospital ED who would have seen their GP if they could have
- To identify the factors that lead to patients presenting to the ED rather than seeing their GP
- To utilise the above to aims to help improve healthcare delivery
Method
A prospective observational study was conducted over a 2-week period in December 2023 in two separate one-week blocks. Patients attending the ED were asked if they would have seen their GP if they could have for their presentation, and if they answered yes, asked what prevented them from seeing their GP.
Results
One hundred and forty-two patients participated in the questionnaire. Seventy-six percent of patients (n=108) stated they would have seen their GP if they could have. The most common reason as to why people couldn’t see their GP was no available appointments, in 61% (n=66).
Conclusions
A significant proportion of patients presenting to the ED at Rockhampton Hospital would have seen their GP if they could have. Further research needs to be completed to identify ways to address this issue.
References
- ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2023) National, state and territory population- external site opens in new window, ABS website, accessed 8 November 2023.
- Pak A, Gannon B. Do access, quality and cost of general practice affect emergency department use? Health Policy. 2021 Apr;125(4):504-511.
- Korczak, V., Yakubu, K., Angell, B. et al. Understanding patient preferences for emergency care for lower triage acuity presentations during GP hours: a qualitative study in Australia. BMC Health Serv Res 22, 1442 (2022)
Speakers
Authors
1. Submitting Authors
Dr Ian Mackay - Queensland Health (Queensland, Australia)
3. Contributing Authors
Ms Zahra Hosseinzadeh - , Dr Maryam Hosseinzadeh -