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Australian Journal of Primary Health Australian Journal of Primary Health Society
The issues influencing community health services and primary health care
Australian Journal of Primary Health

Australian Journal of Primary Health

Volume 26 Number 3 2020


COVID-19 transformed primary care in Australia. There was a rapid introduction of new telehealth items and practice innovation, and health professionals adapted to a new way of working. This should not be all dumped in a post-pandemic world, and the lessons from the pandemic should be used to create a new normal.


General practices do not have highly analytical population health management tools to enable them to care for patients attending regularly, as well as those that do not. Primary Sense can risk stratify the entire attending population into complexity bands, case find patients at risk, identify gaps in care and predict increasing needs and risk of hospitalisation. Practices can identify those at risk of poor outcomes and pro-actively manage their patient populations.


This qualitative study examined non-clinical factors that affect health, namely the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the patient. The study focused on women from South Sudan. The findings point to a need for enhanced clinical education around communication and have implications for patient education strategies.

PY20017General practitioner identification and retention for people with spinal cord damage: establishing factors to inform a general practitioner satisfaction measure

Ali Lakhani, David P. Watling, Ross Duncan, Peter Grimbeek, Peter Harre, Jos Stocker and Sanjoti Parekh
pp. 234-239

A dearth of research investigates GP satisfaction among people who have experienced neurotrauma, with specific measures of GP satisfaction being non-existent. This study identifies the factors contributing to GP retention for people with spinal cord damage and establishes domains for a GP satisfaction measure, and model of GP satisfaction. The findings clarify that knowledge of condition and trust are factors important to include in a future measure and model.


Dementia is a global health priority, demanding a dementia risk reduction (DRR) approach. To implement new DRR guidelines in Australian general practice, we need to better understand the barriers and facilitators to promoting DRR and the implementation strategies to match. This paper presents a practitioner-informed conceptual model in which educational materials and meetings, consensus discussions, champions and knowledge sharing could help overcome 12 identified barriers and capitalise on five identified facilitators.

PY19152Management of acute low back pain: the practices and perspectives of primary care clinicians in Australia

Malene Ahern 0000-0002-5242-7503, Catherine M. Dean, Blake F. Dear, Simon M. Willcock and Julia M. Hush
pp. 256-264

Low back pain (LBP) is the most burdensome condition globally and experts have recently advocated for clinicians to deliver high-value care based on clinical guidelines. However, the current practices and perspectives of primary care practitioners delivering care for acute LBP in Australia are unknown. This study found that when managing acute back pain, most GPs and physiotherapists included key components of guideline-based care, although a person-centred approach often required alternative management strategies.


Alcohol use in people with chronic disease is a challenging issue for primary care. This qualitative study interviewed health practitioners to better understand these challenges and found a lack of training, difficulty referring and role confusion in multidisciplinary care complicate the management of these complex patients. This study identifies areas where improved support and services could ease the challenges and potentially improve patient care.

Committee on Publication Ethics

Call for Papers

We are seeking contributions for Special Issues. More information

Call for Reviewers

We are seeking reviewers to join the team. Australian Journal of Primary Health Reviewers

Best Oral Paper Prize AAAPC 2024

Joanne Wong has been awarded the Best Oral Paper Prize for 2024.

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