• Michael J Taylor, David Edvardsson, Dell Horey, Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh, Rhonda Nay, and Hal Swerissen.
• Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, Australian Institute for Primary Care and Ageing, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia. michael.taylor@latrobe.edu.au
• Australas J Ageing. 2013 Mar 1; 32 (1): 56-9.

AimTo examine the general practitioner (GP) consultation patterns for primary health-care services provided in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) by consultation type.MethodAnalyses of service provision and RACF population data for the period 1998-2011. All Medicare-subsidised services provided by GPs across Australia in RACFs were included and categorised by consultation type and by time of service delivery (business or after-hours).ResultsOverall service delivery increased from 12 118 per 1000 residents in financial year (FY) 1998-99 to 17 079 per 1000 residents in FY2010-11, a 41% increase. Since FY2007-08, the rate of brief consultations has grown by an average of 20% each year. Delivery of after-hours consultations also increased.ConclusionsThe pattern of GP services provided in RACFs has changed substantially over time. To some extent these changes reflect regulatory adjustments; however, the pattern is at odds with the ever-increasing dependence levels of residents.© 2012 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2012 ACOTA.

8 keywords...

hide…