General practice visits by people with traumatic spinal cord injury: a Queensland longitudinal study
Delena Amsters A E , Sarita Schuurs A , Melissa Kendall B , Kiley Pershouse A , Ruth Barker C and Pim Kuipers DA Spinal Outreach Team, Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service, PO Box 6053, Buranda, Qld 4102, Australia.
B Transitional Rehabilitation Program, Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service, PO Box 6053, Qld 4102, Australia.
C School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
D Centre for Functioning and Health Research, Metro South Hospital and Health Service and Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Qld 4131, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: delena_amsters@health.qld.gov.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 20(2) 167-173 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY12105
Submitted: 23 August 2012 Accepted: 21 February 2013 Published: 13 March 2013
Abstract
People with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), although proportionally fewer in number, are known to be high users of primary health care services; however, details of their visits to GPs are unclear. This study presents information about GP utilisation patterns of 193 people with SCI over a 5-year period. Results demonstrate substantially greater GP service utilisation, particularly for young men with SCI, compared with their counterparts in the general population. Interestingly, people with paraplegia were proportionally higher users of GP services than those with tetraplegia. Results indicate the need for specialist support for GPs to meet the SCI-specific needs of this patient group. Specialist SCI outreach teams may be a useful resource to primary health care practitioners.
Additional keywords: disability, service utilisation.
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