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Contribution of a general practitioner hospital: a further study
1Brecon Medical Group Practice, Brecon, Powys.
Insights
General practitioner hospitals manage a greater share of patient admissions and outpatient visits, easing the load on district general hospitals cost-effectively. These findings support a continued role for general practitioner hospitals within the National Health Service (NHS).
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Rural Health
- Hospital Management
Background:
- General practitioner (GP) hospitals provide essential services in rural areas.
- Auditing the workload of GP hospitals is crucial for resource allocation and service planning.
- Previous studies provide a baseline for assessing changes in GP hospital utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To audit the current workload of a rural general practitioner hospital.
- To compare the findings with an earlier study conducted in 1971.
- To evaluate the hospital's role in managing patient care within its practice area.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection over one year (June 1986-May 1987).
- Recording all discharges from the GP hospital.
- Tracking outpatient and casualty attendances at the GP hospital.
- Monitoring referrals and discharges from other hospitals for practice patients.
- Data collected for 20,000 patients registered with the Brecon Medical Group Practice.
Main Results:
- The GP hospital accounted for 78% of all hospital admissions for practice patients.
- 71% of new outpatient attendances by practice patients occurred at the GP hospital.
- Discharges from the GP hospital increased by 37% since 1971.
- New outpatient attendances rose by 30% compared to 1971.
- The average cost per inpatient day was lower at the GP hospital than the district general hospital (£71.07 vs £88.06).
Conclusions:
- The GP hospital manages a significantly larger proportion of patient care compared to 1971.
- The hospital effectively reduces the burden on the local district general hospital.
- GP hospitals offer a cost-effective solution for patient care, justifying their future role in the NHS.
Objective:
To audit the workload of a general practitioner hospital and to compare the results with an earlier study.
Design:
Prospective recording of discharges from the general practitioner hospital plus outpatient and casualty attendances and of all outpatient referrals and discharges from other hospitals of patients from Brecon Medical Group Practice during one year (1 June 1986-31 May 1987).
Setting:
A large rural general group practice which staffs a general practitioner hospital in Brecon, mid-Wales.
Patients:
20,000 Patients living in the Brecon area.
Results:
1540 Patients were discharged from the general practitioner hospital during the study period. The hospital accounted for 78% (1242 out of 1594) of all hospital admissions of patients of the practice. There were 5835 new attendances at the casualty department and 1896 new outpatient attendances at consultant clinics at the hospital. Of all new outpatient attendances by patients of the practice, 71% (1358 out of 1896) were at clinics held at the general practitioner hospital. Since the previous study in 1971 discharges from the hospital have increased 37% (from 1125 to 1540) and new attendances at consultant clinics 30% (from 1450 to 1896). The average cost per inpatient day is lower at this hospital than at the local district general hospital (pounds 71.07 v pounds 88.06 respectively).
Conclusions:
The general practitioner hospital deals with a considerably larger proportion of admissions and outpatient attendances of patients in the practice than in 1971 and eases the burden on the local district general hospital at a reasonable cost.
Implications:
General practitioner hospitals should have a future role in the NHS.