After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people
OBJECTIVES: To examine how older people use an after-hours medical deputising service that arranges home visits by locum general practitioners; to identify differences in how people who live in the community and those who live in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) use this service. DESIGN, SET...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Australasian Medical Publishing
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18531 |
| _version_ | 1848749770640719872 |
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| author | Joe, A. Lowthian, J. Shearer, M. Turner, L. Brijnath, Bianca Pearce, C. Browning, C. Mazza, D. |
| author_facet | Joe, A. Lowthian, J. Shearer, M. Turner, L. Brijnath, Bianca Pearce, C. Browning, C. Mazza, D. |
| author_sort | Joe, A. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | OBJECTIVES: To examine how older people use an after-hours medical deputising service that arranges home visits by locum general practitioners; to identify differences in how people who live in the community and those who live in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) use this service. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected administrative data from the Melbourne Medical Deputising Service (MMDS) for the 5-year period, 1 January 2008 - 31 December 2012. Data for older people (= 70 years old) residing in greater Melbourne and surrounding areas were analysed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers and rates of MMDS bookings for acute after-hours care, stratified according to living arrangements (RACF v community-dwelling residents). RESULTS: Of the 357 112 bookings logged for older patients during 2008-2012, 81% were for RACF patients, a disproportionate use of the service compared with that by older people dwelling in the community. Most MMDS bookings resulted in a locum GP visiting the patient. During 2008-2012, the booking rate for RACFs increased from 121 to 168 per 1000 people aged 70 years or more, a 39% increase; the booking rate for people not living in RACFs increased from 33 to 40 per 1000 people aged 70 years or more, a 21% increase. CONCLUSIONS: After-hours locum GPs booked through the MMDS mainly attended patients living in RACFs during 2008-2012. Further research is required to determine the reasons for differences in the use of locum services by older people living in RACFs and in the community. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:26:13Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-18531 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:26:13Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Australasian Medical Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-185312017-01-30T12:08:21Z After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people Joe, A. Lowthian, J. Shearer, M. Turner, L. Brijnath, Bianca Pearce, C. Browning, C. Mazza, D. OBJECTIVES: To examine how older people use an after-hours medical deputising service that arranges home visits by locum general practitioners; to identify differences in how people who live in the community and those who live in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) use this service. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected administrative data from the Melbourne Medical Deputising Service (MMDS) for the 5-year period, 1 January 2008 - 31 December 2012. Data for older people (= 70 years old) residing in greater Melbourne and surrounding areas were analysed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers and rates of MMDS bookings for acute after-hours care, stratified according to living arrangements (RACF v community-dwelling residents). RESULTS: Of the 357 112 bookings logged for older patients during 2008-2012, 81% were for RACF patients, a disproportionate use of the service compared with that by older people dwelling in the community. Most MMDS bookings resulted in a locum GP visiting the patient. During 2008-2012, the booking rate for RACFs increased from 121 to 168 per 1000 people aged 70 years or more, a 39% increase; the booking rate for people not living in RACFs increased from 33 to 40 per 1000 people aged 70 years or more, a 21% increase. CONCLUSIONS: After-hours locum GPs booked through the MMDS mainly attended patients living in RACFs during 2008-2012. Further research is required to determine the reasons for differences in the use of locum services by older people living in RACFs and in the community. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18531 Australasian Medical Publishing restricted |
| spellingShingle | Joe, A. Lowthian, J. Shearer, M. Turner, L. Brijnath, Bianca Pearce, C. Browning, C. Mazza, D. After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title | After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title_full | After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title_fullStr | After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title_full_unstemmed | After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title_short | After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| title_sort | after-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18531 |