RACGP Standards for general practices
RACGP Entry Standards for General Practices (1996)
The RACGP Standards for General Practices and the associated accreditation process were developed in the 1990s with the long-term aim of engaging general practices in an ongoing process of quality improvement. In 1992, the RACGP established the Standards Reference Group with a grant from the Australian Government. The RACGP Entry Standards for General Practices ("Entry Standards") were then developed to provide entry level standards for general practices to meet through a formal accreditation process.
Following their development, the Entry Standards and assessment processes were field tested by the RACGP in 1994 with financial assistance from the Australian Government. 199 randomly selected practices from urban, rural and remote areas of Australia participated. The field test of the Entry Standards sought to test the acceptance and achievability of the Entry Standards through an accreditation process. The field test demonstrated high levels of validity, reliability, acceptance and achievability. The field test also sought to test the feasibility, reliability and validity of employing an assessment process through an accreditation systemi , ii. One of the major outcomes of the field test was the demonstration of significant levels of change undertaken or planned by the practices involved.
In 1994 and 1995 the (then) Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health (DHSH) commissioned and financed the Divisions of General Practice to undertake local demonstration trials of the Entry Standards and the accreditation process. The trials were designed as an extension of - and were complementary to - the RACGP field test. The demonstration trials involved 500 general practices, either self selected or randomly chosen from metropolitan, rural and remote areas in all states and territories of Australia. The focus was on trialling the ways the Entry Standards could be applied in a general practice accreditation setting. iii
Download a copy of the RACGP Entry Standards for General Practices (1996) below.
The Entry Standards for General Practices are no longer used for accreditation purposes and have been included here for historical purposes only.
i Hays R, Miller G, Booth B, Harris B, Harris H, Stirton J. The development of general practice Standards in Australia. Med Educ 1998; 32: 199-204.
ii Miller GC. Measurement of the quality of general practice in Australia. [PhD thesis]. Sydney: University of Sydney, 2003.
iii Mara P, Vining R, Braithwaite J. Local demonstration trials of standards and accreditation for general practice: summary report. Canberra: Department of Human Services and Health, 1995.
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RACGP Entry Standards for General Practices 1996 (711Kb)
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