Patient Survey
Of the 1050 individuals invited to participate in the study, 710 provided data, with numbers per GP Super Clinic ranging from 9 to 146.Table 3 provides socio-demographic characteristics of the sample. Almost two-thirds of the patients were female, and approximately half were aged 45 years or over, with 17% aged 65 or over. Fifty-nine percent were married or in a de facto relationship, and only 4% of the sample were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. While 84% of the sample were born in Australia, 11% spoke a language other than English.
These data were compared to GP encounters with Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health (BEACH) data. Relative to the population of general practice patients from BEACH data, the GP Super Clinics’ patient sample had a slightly higher proportion of females, were younger, and had a higher proportion of Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islanders.26
Table 3: Demographic Characteristics of Patient Participants in Survey
Patient Characteristic | Patient Survey Data | ||
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Number | Proportion of Sample (%) | |
Gender | ![]() | ![]() | |
Male | 253 | 36 | |
Female | 457 | 64 | |
Age Group | ![]() | ![]() | |
18-24 | 73 | 10 | |
25-34 | 134 | 19 | |
35-44 | 141 | 20 | |
45-54 | 140 | 20 | |
55-64 | 95 | 13 | |
65-74 | 67 | 9 | |
75+ | 60 | 8 | |
Relationship Status* | ![]() | ![]() | |
Never married | 149 | 21 | |
Widowed | 42 | 6 | |
Divorced | 58 | 8 | |
Separated | 38 | 5 | |
Married (registered and de facto) | 417 | 59 | |
Other Characteristics | ![]() | ![]() | |
Aboriginal person | 31 | 4 | |
Non-English speaking background | 74 | 11 | |
Born in Australia | 593 | 84 |
* Data missing for 6 observations
Table 4 provides an overview of the employment status and health insurance characteristics of the patients who completed the survey in this evaluation.
Table 4: Employment and Health Insurance Characteristics of Patient Participants in Survey
Patient Characteristic | Patient Survey Data | |
---|---|---|
![]() | Number | Proportion of Sample (%) |
Employment Status | ![]() | ![]() |
Employed full-time | 273 | 38 |
Employed part-time | 158 | 22 |
Unemployed | 78 | 11 |
Not in the labour force | 201 | 28 |
Health Insurance Characteristics | ![]() | ![]() |
Health Care, Veterans Affairs or Pensioner Concession Card | 172 | 24 |
Private health insurance | 148 | 21 |
No insurance or card | 389 | 55 |
An overview of the characteristics of patients completing the survey in relation to attendances at the GP Super Clinic is provided in Table 5.
Table 5: Overview of GP Super Clinics Attendances of Patient Participants in Survey
Patient Characteristic | Patient Survey Data | |
---|---|---|
![]() | Number | Proportion of Sample (%) |
Attendances | ![]() | ![]() |
Usual GP Practice | 645 | 91 |
Changed from another practice | 343 | 52 |
See GPs at another practice | 162 | 23 |
Expecting to see usual doctor | 460 | 67 |
Clinicians other than GP seen in last year at GP Super Clinic | ![]() | ![]() |
Seen Nurse | 344 | 50 |
Seen Allied health clinician | 188 | 27 |
Seen medical specialist | 36 | 5 |
Frequency of Attending GP in Last Year* | ![]() | ![]() |
1 time | 43 | 6 |
2-3 times | 166 | 24 |
4-5 times | 159 | 23 |
6-7 times | 113 | 16 |
8-9 times | 45 | 7 |
More than 10 times | 165 | 24 |
Main Reason for Attending GP Super Clinics | ![]() | ![]() |
New problem | 164 | 24 |
Existing or chronic problem | 221 | 32 |
Work related problem | 18 | 3 |
Treatment/procedure | 17 | 2 |
Medication problem or prescription | 83 | 12 |
Get results | 86 | 12 |
General check up | 40 | 6 |
Referral | 13 | 2 |
Vaccination | 7 | 1 |
Other | 42 | 6 |
* Contains Missing data
Six hundred and forty-five patients (91%) considered the GP Super Clinics as their usual GP practices. Of all patients who participated in the survey, 343 (52%) reported that they changed practice to attend the GP Super Clinics. Two-thirds of patients (67%) indicated that they were expecting to see their usual doctors at the visit. In relation to the other clinicians that patients had seen at the GP Super Clinics in the last twelve months, 50% had seen nurses, 27% had seen allied health clinicians and 5% had seen medical specialists.
Nearly one quarter (24%) of all patients reported attending the GP Super Clinics more than 10 times in the last twelve months. Twenty-four percent of patients were attending the GP Super Clinics on the day of survey completion for new problems, with 32% attending for existing or chronic problems.
Patient Interviews
Twenty-four patients at the seven GP Super Clinics consented to participate in the semi-structured interviews. Of those patients interviewed, 75% were female, with age range from 25 to 78 years, and all but one patient had visited the GP Super Clinics a number of times.26Britt H, Miller GC, Charles J, et al. General Practice Activity in Australia 2008-2009. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009. General Practice Series no. 25.