Perspectives of Australian general practitioners on shared care for paediatric patients
Erin Turbitt A , Marina Kunin A , Sarah Gafforini A , Lena Sanci B , Neil Spike B and Gary L. Freed A CA Health Systems and Workforce Unit, The Centre for Health Policy, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
B General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: gary.freed@unimelb.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 23(2) 147-153 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY16002
Submitted: 12 January 2016 Accepted: 31 July 2016 Published: 5 September 2016
Abstract
Australian general practitioners (GPs) are seeing proportionally fewer paediatric patients. GPs may be increasingly relying on secondary or tertiary care physicians to provide care to children with complex, chronic conditions. Shared-care initiatives may provide a solution to the apparent increasing dependence of GPs on paediatric specialists, although, currently, evidence is lacking about both the prevalence and composition of shared care for children in Australia. We invited 377 GPs in Melbourne, Australia, who had referred at least two children to specialist paediatric outpatient clinics within the 2014 calendar year, to participate in a mailed survey study. Items analysed for the present report included those relating to shared-care arrangements between GPs and paediatric specialists. Responses were received from 254 GPs (response rate 67%). The majority (90%) of GPs in our study have been involved in shared-care arrangements with outpatient paediatricians. We found wide variation in the success of these arrangements, measured through the ability of GPs to establish clear roles with paediatricians. For a national discussion around shared care to be productive, clear definitions and classifications will be crucial. Future research could investigate the reasons for variability in shared care in Australia, and examine optimal shared-care arrangements for children.
Additional keywords: medical home, paediatrics, primary health care.
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