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Chapter 5: Innovation within general practice

GPs don’t feel well informed about innovation

Overall, only 13% of GPs agreed they felt well informed about the state of innovation within general practice (Figure 48), contrasted with 54% who disagreed. The sentiment that GPs did not feel well informed about innovation was also reflected in those GPs who identified themselves as ‘innovators’ or ‘early adopters’. Only 28% of innovators and 20% of early adopters felt well informed about innovation within general practice.

Figure 48. GP sentiment about feeling well-informed about innovation within general practice

GP sentiment about feeling well-informed about innovation within general practice

Measure: Proportion of GP responses to the question, ‘To what extent to do you agree or disagree that you feel well informed about the state of innovation in general practice?’
Sample: Practising GPs 2024 n=3006
Source: The Navigators, RACGP Health of the Nation survey April/May 2024.

GP INSIGHTS

What new innovative practices or methods do you believe should be adopted to positively impact the care you provide?

‘Innovation has significantly enhanced general practice, particularly through technology and AI. Electronic health records streamline patient information, improving care coordination and reducing errors. Telemedicine allows remote consultations, increasing accessibility. AI-driven tools aid in diagnosis and treatment decisions, offering insights from vast data sets. Wearable devices and health apps empower patients to monitor their health, promoting proactive care. Overall, these advancements save time, enhance accuracy, and enable more personalised healthcare, ultimately improving patient outcomes and the efficiency of general practice.’
‘Overhaul of technology, business systems and medical software. Introduction of AI. Streamlining complex processes. Improve revenue by understanding the business finances, improving appointment systems, cost of supplies and saving possibilities and billing analyses.’
‘Systems that talk to each other, there are so many local and national systems that GPs have to endlessly navigate.’
‘Better interoperability between systems, easier transfer of information between clinicians and patient, new models of care with multidisciplinary element and more flexible funding mechanisms to experiment with different ways of providing care. Increased percentage of funding to care that isn't dependent upon the GP seeing the patient (carefully so as not to be detrimental to continuity).’
‘A health status dashboard for patients to see what is recommended for their age (eg mammograms, bowel cancer screening, CST, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar/HbA1c, physical activity recommendations). This might be when patients check in and prompt them to discuss with the doctor. They can access this at home as a shared screen to upload their latest blood pressure readings and BGL, weight, waist and hip measurements for their GP to see when they come in.’