The use of inpatient admission privileges by members of a division of general practice.
OBJECTIVE
The Mornington Peninsula Hospital (MPH) in Victoria has a Division of General Practice whose members retain admission privileges. We will describe the use of general practitioner inpatient admitting rights at Mornington Peninsula Hospital.


METHODS
The study will be a retrospective review of existing hospital databases.


RESULTS
From 1980 until July 1992 the rate of general practitioner admissions is decreasing at one per cent per annum. Comparative data shows an increase of 0.7 per cent in admissions per annum by medical specialists. Between 1988 and 1991 general practitioner admissions have been equally divided between obstetrics and general medicine. The proportion of long stay general practitioner inpatients is below one per cent of all general practitioner admissions, and the average length of stay for general practitioner inpatients approximates that of MPH in general. Most general practitioner inpatients are discharged home, and 3.1 per cent are transferred to other units or hospitals. Neoplastic disease accounts for 40 per cent of all the deaths within the general practitioner inpatient group.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that, in selected areas, the care of inpatients is still a valid role for some general practitioners.
Montalto
M
M
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria.
Gunesekera
A
A
Sanderson
F
F
D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016014:Linear Models; D008504:Medical Staff Privileges; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014739:Victoria