Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services?
Objective: To compare rates of visits to a general practitioner between users and non-users of mental health services (MHS). Design, participants and setting: Population-based retrospective cohort study of 204 727 users and 294 076 matched non-users of MHS in Western Australia from 1 January 1990 to...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Australasian Medical Publishing Company Pty. Ltd.
2010
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| Online Access: | https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/192/9/do-users-mental-health-services-lack-access-general-practitioner-services http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35201 |
| _version_ | 1848754431651217408 |
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| author | Mai, Q. Holman, C D. Sanfilippo, F. Emery, J. Stewart, Louise |
| author_facet | Mai, Q. Holman, C D. Sanfilippo, F. Emery, J. Stewart, Louise |
| author_sort | Mai, Q. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Objective: To compare rates of visits to a general practitioner between users and non-users of mental health services (MHS). Design, participants and setting: Population-based retrospective cohort study of 204 727 users and 294 076 matched non-users of MHS in Western Australia from 1 January 1990 to 30 June 2006, based on linked records of the use of MHS, hospital admissions, Medicare claims for GP and specialist services, electoral roll registration and deaths. Main outcome measures: Adjusted rate ratios (ARRs) for the number of visits to GPs by users of MHS relative to non-users, and for different categories of mental disorders. Results: Relative to non-users of MHS, the ARR of visits to GPs by users of MHS was 1.622 (95% CI, 1.613–1.631) overall, and was elevated in each separate category of mental illness. ARRs were highest for alcohol/drug disorders, schizophrenia and affective psychoses (2.404, 1.834 and 1.798, respectively). The results were not changed by location (metropolitan, rural or remote addresses). However, the 4% of MHS users with no fixed address had a very low ARR of visits to GPs (0.058; 95% CI, 0.057–0.060). Conclusions: Users of MHS visit GPs substantially more often than non-users, with the exception of those with no fixed address who seldom see a GP at all. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:40:18Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-35201 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:40:18Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Australasian Medical Publishing Company Pty. Ltd. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-352012017-01-30T13:48:14Z Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? Mai, Q. Holman, C D. Sanfilippo, F. Emery, J. Stewart, Louise general practitioner mental health services (MHS) hospital admissions Medicare linked records alcohol/drug disorders schizophrenia and affective psychoses Objective: To compare rates of visits to a general practitioner between users and non-users of mental health services (MHS). Design, participants and setting: Population-based retrospective cohort study of 204 727 users and 294 076 matched non-users of MHS in Western Australia from 1 January 1990 to 30 June 2006, based on linked records of the use of MHS, hospital admissions, Medicare claims for GP and specialist services, electoral roll registration and deaths. Main outcome measures: Adjusted rate ratios (ARRs) for the number of visits to GPs by users of MHS relative to non-users, and for different categories of mental disorders. Results: Relative to non-users of MHS, the ARR of visits to GPs by users of MHS was 1.622 (95% CI, 1.613–1.631) overall, and was elevated in each separate category of mental illness. ARRs were highest for alcohol/drug disorders, schizophrenia and affective psychoses (2.404, 1.834 and 1.798, respectively). The results were not changed by location (metropolitan, rural or remote addresses). However, the 4% of MHS users with no fixed address had a very low ARR of visits to GPs (0.058; 95% CI, 0.057–0.060). Conclusions: Users of MHS visit GPs substantially more often than non-users, with the exception of those with no fixed address who seldom see a GP at all. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35201 https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/192/9/do-users-mental-health-services-lack-access-general-practitioner-services Australasian Medical Publishing Company Pty. Ltd. restricted |
| spellingShingle | general practitioner mental health services (MHS) hospital admissions Medicare linked records alcohol/drug disorders schizophrenia and affective psychoses Mai, Q. Holman, C D. Sanfilippo, F. Emery, J. Stewart, Louise Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title | Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title_full | Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title_fullStr | Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title_short | Do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| title_sort | do users of mental health services lack access to general practitioner services? |
| topic | general practitioner mental health services (MHS) hospital admissions Medicare linked records alcohol/drug disorders schizophrenia and affective psychoses |
| url | https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/192/9/do-users-mental-health-services-lack-access-general-practitioner-services http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35201 |