title: Encounters with indigenous patients in Australian general practice.
abstract: The BEACH program, a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia, gives an overview of consultations with indigenous patients. Between 1998 and 2003, general practitioners recorded 5476 consultations with people who identified themselves as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. These accounted for approximately 1% of total BEACH encounters for the 5 year period. In this article we compare 'indigenous encounters' with total BEACH encounters. This provides a backdrop against which articles in this issue of Australian Family Physician can be further considered.
authors.affiliation: AIHW Australian GP Statistics and Classification Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Britt
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knox
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data