A comparison of a hospital outpatients department and general practice in remote Queensland

A survey of all ambulant patients attending the hospital outpatients' department and the private general practice in a remote town in Queensland sought information on patients' reasons for attending. Patients handed the completed questionnaires to their practitioner, who indicated the type of visit and the focus of the encounter. There was little difference between the facilities in terms of patient demographics, except that males accounted for a higher proportion of encounters at the Outpatients' Department (OPD), mainly as emergency encounters. Excluding emergency encounters, patients appeared to perceive the facilities as alternative practices. The practitioners' reports suggested some differences in practice and/or experience between the two facilities, which were in line with commonly held perceptions about OPD and private general practice. The data suggest that the similarities between the two facilities may outweigh the differences. Moreover, the differences between rural hospital practice and rural general practice should be seen as providing the opportunity for more rounded training, rather than mutually exclusive forms of practice.