Actual availability of general practice appointments for mildly ill children.

The article discusses a study that assessed the same-day appointment availability for mildly ill children of Australian general practitioners (GPs). Topics covered include telephone calls to 225 GP clinics from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm for scenarios including an 8-month old baby with fever and cough and a 3-year-old child with earache and fever. Results showed 78% of GP clinics offering same-day appointments while 49% offered appointment in 4 hours and 75% offered bulk-billing.