Adolescent health presentations to Victorian general practice: a descriptive study using electronic medical records

Background Although most young Australians visit their general practitioner at least once a year, discrepancies remain between healthcare need and healthcare support in this group. A detailed contemporary understanding of youth presentations to general practice is needed, given that the last comprehensive investigation into Australian adolescent encounters with primary care is now over two decades old. The aim of this study is to describe rates of presentation and reasons for visit among young people in Victorian primary care using data extracted from electronic medical records. Methods A retrospective descriptive study of de-identified electronic medical records data from >22,000 adolescents aged 10-24 years who presented to Victorian general practice in 2019 was undertaken. Results The overall mean attendance rate of young people was 2.89visits/patient per year, with rates highest amongst older patients, females and those in regional localities. Young people presented most frequently for physical (biomedical) concerns (such as respiratory, skin and general physical complaints), and psychological (mental health) reasons for visit. Conclusions The study addresses a significant gap in our understanding of the role of general practice for young Australians. Although physical problems continue to predominate among Australian adolescents' reasons for visit to general practice, psychological presentations occur much more frequently than estimated in past studies. This study also demonstrates that general practice electronic medical records data can be harnessed to provide a meaningful description of primary care activity.