Older Australians' Expectations of their Interactions with their GPs

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study into older Australians' expectations when interacting with their general practitioners (GPs). Six focus groups and a national telephone survey (n=505) were conducted to identify those aspects of interactions with GPs considered to be the most important and relevant to older people. The results indicate that the three most important issues relate to ability of GPs to: (1) provide prompt referrals to specialists and ensure an ongoing information flow between GPs and specialists (2) remain abreast of new developments in geriatric and general medicine, and (3) demonstrate a familiarity with the patient's medical history. These issues were considered important to older patients in general and to be of personal relevance to the large majority of those sampled.