Authors

Socioeconomic disadvantage has a known effect on health, with less advantaged Australians self-reporting poorer health than those classified as more advantaged.1 The least advantaged Australians...

Respiratory conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory infections are among the most common problems managed in Australian general practice, at 17.8%...

 Patients’ attitudes to their asthma and perception of their asthma control are suggested reasons for dissonance between recommended and actual medication use.8,9 How clinicians perceive their...

General practitioners (GPs) are the gatekeepers to our healthcare system and provide the majority of health services to the estimated 23.3 million residents in Australia.1 In 2013–14, government...

Male patients were three times more likely than female patients, and patients aged ≥45 years were seven times more likely than younger patients to have cardiomyopathy managed (Figure 1). The most...

Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs in Australia. According to the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), about four out of five Australians aged ≥14 years consumed...

Effective communication between general practitioners (GPs) and their patients is essential to the provision of high-quality care and the best health outcomes for patients. Criterion 1.2.3 of The...

Gallbladder disease was managed at a rate of 0.2 per 100 encounters in BEACH, suggesting approximately 380 000 GBD patient-doctor encounters nationally per year. Gallbladder disease was managed...

The estimated prevalence of diagnosed GORD in patients attending general practice in Australia is 11.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.5–12.6) and 7.5% (95% CI, 6.8–8.2) in the Australian...

Recently, given increasing concerns about antibiotic resistance and the potential for adverse effects, a ‘wait and see’ approach was recommended.1 This advises observation and analgesia for the...

In June 2012, 14% of the Australian population was aged 65 years and over. Population projections indicate this could rise to 22.4% by 2061, and the proportion aged 85 years and over may...

BackgroundIn common with many countries, the training of medical graduates for entry into general practice in Australia uses an apprenticeship model of experiential learning in accredited teaching...

Analysis of BEACH data from April 2001 to March 2013 was undertaken to determine the proportion of general practitioner–patient encounters in Australia that involved ordering of genetic tests. Of 1...

This article is a descriptive comparison of recognised GPs who work in teaching practices with those who work in nonteaching practices. We look at GP and practice characteristics and at some...

General practitioners (GPs) are at the coalface of primary healthcare in Australia. It is estimated that approximately 85% of the population visit a GP at least once a year.1 This article focuses...

Asthma is among the most commonly managed chronic problems in general practice.1 About 2.3 million Australians (10.2%) had asthma in 2011–12, a significantly lower prevalence than in 2001 (11.6%).2...

Chronic heart failure is a clinical syndrome associated with unpleasant symptoms such as shortness of breath, ankle swelling and fatigue.1 In Australia, the National Health Survey reported an...

One in 20 Australian general practice patients suffer from COPD (one in 10 for patients aged 65 years or older). One in 5 are classified at the highest severity level (by the Global Initiative for...

Health services research on general practice that aimed to improve the function of practice and quality of care dates from the seminal ethnographic study of English general practice by Australian...

This paper reports on the proportion of patients with multiple chronic conditions at GP encounters, using data from a 2008–2009 BEACH 
sub-study that measured the prevalence of chronic conditions.4...

There has been little published research about the rate of management of musculoskeletal injuries (eg fractures, sprains/strains) in Australian general practice. There has been a national increase...

There is little published information about the prevalence, demographics and impairment of patients who report chronic neuropathic pain at encounters in Australian general practice. Most national...

There is little published information about the prevalence, demographics and impairment of patients who report chronic neuropathic pain at encounters in Australian general practice. Most national...

Chest X-rays are the most frequently ordered imaging test in Australian general practice. They accounted for 8.3% of all imaging tests ordered by general practitioners (GPs) in 2013–14 at a rate of...

From April 2010 to March 2011 in BEACH, osteoporosis was managed at a rate of 6 per 1000 general practice encounters, suggesting an average 708 000 osteoporosis patient-doctor encounters per year...

Data from the Australian Medical Treatment Survey 1990–91, and from BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health), were analysed to detect changes in the management rate of PAD since 1990...

There is little evidence that self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) benefits patients with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D). While considerably more expensive, SMBG appears to be no more...

During this period, the sex-specific proportion of CVA managed (% encounters) was significantly lower in women (0.16%; 95% CI: 0.15–0.17) than in men (0.24%; 0.23–0.26). The age-specific...

Of 1937 BEACH GP participants for whom age was known, 62% were aged 50 years or more. This reflects the distribution of GPs in that age group in the Australian sample frame.2 Although computer use...

We examined the likelihood of general practitioners (GPs) ordering at least one of three coeliac/gluten-associated tests (CGATs) at BEACH GP–patient encounters in Australia in April 2000–March 2014...

General practice has always been the cornerstone of Australia’s healthcare system. Almost all Australians (85%) visit a general practitioner (GP) at least once in any given year,1 and GPs act as...

BEACH data collected in 2012–14 were used to investigate the management of unresolved gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in Australian general practice. This included the characteristics of patients...