A NEW study has given Gladstone locals a fairly healthy diagnosis.
The ground-breaking National Health Performance Authority report has found more than 15% of central Queenslanders did not attend a GP in 2012/2013.
The report provides the most detailed picture yet about Australia’s frequent users of GP services.
The study found almost 10% of people from CQ visited GPs at least 12 times.
Fewer than 5% saw GPs 20 or more times.
About 57% of Australians who attended GPs 20 or more times were over 60 and one third reported having three or more long-term health conditions.
The people who attend GPs more often tend to be older, less well off and more likely to have several long-term health conditions.
They were also found to have seen several different GPs.
Australians visit GPs an average of five or six times annually.
The amount Medicare paid out for non-hospital services on average for very high and frequent GP attendees in CQ was $2004.
NHPA chief Dr Diane Watson said there would be different factors at play in each local area explaining its mix of frequent and less frequent GP attendees.
“Patients who see GPs much more than the average are of interest to health and hospital managers, doctors and nurses because they have the most need for effective, well co-ordinated health care,” Dr Watson said.
“The report will give vital information to health providers in each community that may help them to better understand their unique patient populations.”
One in eight Australians saw a GP at least 12 times in 2012/13, accounting for 41% of the $16 billion Medicare paid out in out-of-hospital benefits.
People who visited the GP 20 or more times:
- 75% aged 45 or above
- Were almost twice as likely as low attendees to have lived in areas of low socio-economic status
- More than 40% reported visiting an emergency department
- Source: National Health Performance Authority