Tackling a big (bug)-bear - helping rural GPs manage patients after hours
Dr Matthew Poxon, University of Tasmania, Australia*
Dr Jeff Ayton, ACRRM, Australia
A Quantitative and Qualitative review of GP Assist (Tasmania) and its application to wider Rural Australia.
GP Assist (Tasmania) is a highly successful, innovative, collaborative service which was designed, trialled and implemented in Tasmania to support GPs in the management and care of patients in after hour’s periods. Over 85% of Tasmanian GPs now use the service, and patient and GP satisfaction is extremely high, especially those in Rural areas.
Such has been the success of the model that the Federal Government is now seeking to implement it nationally.
This paper reviews the nature of GP Assist and analyses its core values, methodologies and practice outcomes to understand its usefulness in supporting GPs in Rural Practice. Data is presented demonstrating a significant rise in GP work satisfaction, GP retention and GP recruitment to Rural Practice. Cost-effectiveness data is also presented.
In light of the Federal Government’s decision to implement the GP Assist (Tasmania) model nationally, discussion is made around a number of key points regarding role-out of the model to Rural Areas.
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