Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Joe, A.
    Lowthian, J.
    Shearer, M.
    Turner, L.
    Brijnath, Bianca
    Pearce, C.
    Browning, C.
    Mazza, D.
    Date
    2016
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Joe, A. and Lowthian, J. and Shearer, M. and Turner, L. and Brijnath, B. and Pearce, C. and Browning, C. et al. 2016. After-hours medical deputising services: patterns of use by older people. Medical Journal of Australia. 205 (9): pp. 397-402.
    Source Title
    Medical Journal of Australia
    School
    School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18531
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    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.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • After-hours respiratory physiotherapy for intubated and mechanically ventilated patients with community-acquired pneumonia: An Australian perspective
      van der Lee, L.; Hill, Anne-Marie; Patman, S. (2018)
      Introduction: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common reason for admission to an intensive care unit for intubation and mechanical ventilation, and results in high morbidity and mortality. The primary aim of the ...
    • Emergency department utilisation by older people in metropolitan Melbourne, 2008?12: findings from the Reducing Older Patient.
      Mazza, D.; Pearce, C.; Joe, A.; Turner, L.; Brijnath, Bianca; Browning, C.; Shearer, M.; Lowthian, J. (2017)
      Objective Older patients are over-represented in emergency departments (ED), with many presenting for conditions that could potentially be managed in general practice. The aims of the present study were to examine the ...
    • Supporting Patients and Their Caregivers After-Hours at the End of Life: The Role of Telephone Support
      Phillips, J.; Davidson, Patricia; Newton, Phillip; DiGiacomo, Michelle (2008)
      Twenty-four hour access is accepted as a gold standard for palliative care service delivery, yet minimal data exist to justify the cost of this initiative to health care planners and policy makers. Further, there is scant ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.