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Encounters with indigenous patients in Australian general practice
Janice Charles1, Helena Britt, Stephanie Knox
1AIHW Australian GP Statistics and Classification Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
Australian Family Physician
|October 12, 2005
Summary
Indigenous Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, represented about 1% of general practice encounters in Australia between 1998 and 2003. This analysis provides context for understanding primary care for Indigenous patients.
Area of Science:
- General Practice
- Indigenous Health
- Primary Care Research
Background:
- The BEACH program is a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia.
- Understanding primary care utilization by Indigenous Australians is crucial for health equity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of general practice consultations with Indigenous patients in Australia.
- To establish a baseline for Indigenous patient encounters within the BEACH program data.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the BEACH program (1998-2003).
- Inclusion of consultations where patients identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin.
- Comparison of 'indigenous encounters' with total BEACH encounters.
Main Results:
- 5476 consultations with Indigenous patients were recorded between 1998 and 2003.
- Indigenous encounters constituted approximately 1% of all BEACH program encounters during this period.
Conclusions:
- Indigenous Australians represent a small but significant proportion of general practice activity.
- This data serves as a backdrop for further research on Indigenous primary healthcare.