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General practitioner's care of the elderly: studies of aspects of workload.

General practitioner's care of the elderly: studies of aspects of workload.

Authors :
Knox JD
Anderson RA
Jacob A
Campion PD
Source :
The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners [J R Coll Gen Pract] 1984 Apr; Vol. 34 (261), pp. 194-8.
Publication Year :
1984

Abstract

This paper reports trends in the volume and nature of general practitioners' contacts with the elderly patients on their NHS lists in Dundee during the 1970s. It forms part of a larger project involving 32 general practitioners collaborating in a continuing study concerning the introduction of the first health centre in Dundee.During the decade contacts with the elderly increased as a proportion of the general practitioners' total work, broadly commensurate with the increase in Dundee's elderly population. Indirect contacts, mainly reissue of prescriptions for longterm medication, showed a greater proportional increase than direct consultations. Home visiting of the elderly remained relatively constant, while house calls to other age groups declined. Hospital referrals remained a small proportion of the general practitioners' work. Entry into a health centre was not associated with obvious changes in patterns of workload.If more might be done in planning and implementing changes in care of the elderly at general practice level, such changes should be the result of consensus among the professionals concerned, and should take account of the views of recipients of care.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0035-8797
Volume :
34
Issue :
261
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
6502555