General practice tool kit

Your practice premises

Clinical equipment

Last revised: 24 Oct 2019

Equipment requirements

Your practice will need enough equipment to provide comprehensive clinical care and emergency resuscitation. The RACGP Standards for General Practices provides a list of equipment that practices need for accreditation against the standards.

You will need to decide whether your practice will provide equipment for doctors to use, or whether doctors will need to provide their own equipment. If each doctor has to provide their own equipment, you must tell them this before they join the practice.

In addition to the equipment specified in The Standards, you might purchase additional equipment so that:

  • you cater for particular patient needs, based on your location and population
  • you don’t need to refer patients to other service providers.

For example:

  • audiometry
  • ECG
  • spirometry
  • vascular Doppler ultrasound
  • slit lamp
  • ultrasound
  • point-of-care testing
  • ear suction
  • cryotherapy
  • clinical photography.

Consider purchasing digital technologies that are available (eg digital ECG and digital spirometry equipment), as these can deliver benefits for your doctors and patients.

RACGP Standards

GP5.2 A Our practice has equipment that enables us to provide comprehensive primary care and emergency resuscitation, including:

  • auriscope
  • blood glucose monitoring equipment
  • disposable syringes and needles
  • equipment for resuscitation (ie equipment for maintaining an airway for adults and children, and equipment to assist ventilation, including bag and mask)
  • intravenous access
  • emergency medicines
  • examination light
  • eye examination equipment (eg fluorescein staining)
  • gloves (sterile and non-sterile)
  • height measurement device
  • measuring tape
  • equipment for sensation testing
  • ophthalmoscope
  • oxygen
  • patella hammer
  • peak flow meter
  • PPE
  • pulse oximeter
  • scales
  • spacer for inhaler
  • specimen collection equipment
  • sphygmomanometer (with small,medium and large cuffs)
  • stethoscope
  • surgical masks
  • thermometer
  • torch
  • tourniquet
  • urine testing strips, including pregnancy testing kits
  • vaginal specula
  • visual acuity charts
  • the ability to view X-rays.

GP5.2 B Our practice maintains our clinical equipment in accordance with each manufacturer’s recommendations.

GP5.2 D Our practice has timely access to a spirometer and electrocardiograph.

GP5.2E Our practice has a defibrillator.

View the standards >

All GPs should have the required equipment to make home and other visits, and to help in emergencies that occur in the direct vicinity of the practice.

A fully equipped doctor’s bag gives GPs immediate access to core equipment, medicines and stationery so that they can provide the necessary care in these situations. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) also provides certain medications for doctor’s bags.

Each bag must be stored securely and in accordance with state and territory laws.

The size of your practice will determine how many bags your practice might require. You might have one per doctor, or they might share bags.

RACGP Standards

GP5.3 A Each of our GPs has access to a fully equipped doctor’s bag for routine visits and emergency care, containing:

  • auriscope
  • disposable gloves
  • equipment for maintaining an airway in adults and children
  • in-date medicines for medical emergencies
  • practice stationery (including prescription pads and letterhead)
  • sharps container
  • sphygmomanometer
  • stethoscope
  • syringes and needles in a range of sizes
  • thermometer
  • tongue depressors
  • torch.

View the standards >

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