Australians have given their general practitioners and doctors a clean bill of health, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday.
The Survey of Health Care, presented by the ABS and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), explored the experiences of people aged 45 years and over who had seen a GP in the previous 12 months. The survey focused on co-ordination of health care, including information transfer between GPs, specialists and hospitals.
Almost all Australians (98 per cent) aged 45 years and over who had seen a GP in the previous 12 months had a usual GP or a usual place of care.
Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of these people had long relationships with their GPs – having seen them for five years or more.
Around nine in 10 (88 per cent) reported that their usual GP or others in their usual place of care involved them in decisions and explained test results in a way they could understand.
“Overall, the majority of people believe they are well-informed about their medical care or treatment but there are differing levels of satisfaction,” said Louise Gates, Director of Health at the ABS.
Dr Lynelle Moon, Head of the Health Group at AIHW commented, “most people (92 per cent) reported they had received enough information, or did not need information, about their care or treatment from a health professional.
“People also reported on the level of information transfer between their usual GP and specialist doctors. More than three quarters (76 per cent) said their usual GP or others in their usual place of care seemed informed of the care they received from a specialist.
“Nine per cent said their GP or usual place of care did not seem informed or did not know about the specialist care until the patient told them.
“In comparison, information transfer wasn’t as strong following a visit to the emergency department. More than three in five people (62 per cent) felt their usual GP or others in their usual place of care seemed informed about their follow up needs or medication changes after their most recent visit to the emergency department, while 19 per cent did not,” added Dr Moon.
What do you think about the standard of health care in Australia? Do you have a regular GP and are you happy with the service you receive when you visit them?
Read the full ABS survey results.
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