Perspectives of Australian general practitioners on shared care for paediatric patients.
Australian general practitioners (GPs) are seeing proportionally fewer paediatric patients. GPs may be increasingly relying on secondary or tertiary care physicians to provide care to children with complex, chronic conditions. Shared-care initiatives may provide a solution to the apparent increasing dependence of GPs on paediatric specialists, although, currently, evidence is lacking about both the prevalence and composition of shared care for children in Australia. We invited 377 GPs in Melbourne, Australia, who had referred at least two children to specialist paediatric outpatient clinics within the 2014 calendar year, to participate in a mailed survey study. Items analysed for the present report included those relating to shared-care arrangements between GPs and paediatric specialists. Responses were received from 254 GPs (response rate 67%). The majority (90%) of GPs in our study have been involved in shared-care arrangements with outpatient paediatricians. We found wide variation in the success of these arrangements, measured through the ability of GPs to establish clear roles with paediatricians. For a national discussion around shared care to be productive, clear definitions and classifications will be crucial. Future research could investigate the reasons for variability in shared care in Australia, and examine optimal shared-care arrangements for children.
Health Systems and Workforce Unit, The Centre for Health Policy, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Erin
E
Turbitt
Health Systems and Workforce Unit, The Centre for Health Policy, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Marina
M
Kunin
Health Systems and Workforce Unit, The Centre for Health Policy, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Sarah
S
Gafforini
General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Lena
L
Sanci
General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Neil
N
Spike
Health Systems and Workforce Unit, The Centre for Health Policy, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Gary L
GL
Freed
D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D010372:Pediatrics; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires