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COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE EVALUATION. THE SOUTHERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: A BASELINE STUDY: 2. MORBIDITY STATISTICS FROM 5,214 DOCTOR‐PATIENT CONTACTS
Author(s) -
McCarthy Neville J.,
Moran Leon J.,
Deeble John S.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1974.tb50787.x
Subject(s) - medicine , medical prescription , medical diagnosis , incidence (geometry) , family medicine , anxiety , presentation (obstetrics) , pediatrics , psychiatry , nursing , physics , pathology , optics , radiology
The patients and their attributes of clinical interest are described in this paper. The 5,214 doctor‐patient contacts are analysed to demonstrate the method of presentation to the doctors of the various categories of patients. The influences of age of patient, fee status, age of doctor and diagnosis on the management of the patient are also examined and several patterns are suggested by this review. The generally held impressions that the ages of patients seem to bear some relationship to the age of the practitioner and that more of the general practitioner's work is being conducted at the consulting rooms are supported. An examination of types of services provided highlights the importance placed on diagnosis, advice and review in the management of patients. Drug therapies (prescriptions) were only of prime importance in a small minority of patients (11×6%). Moreover, in only 4% of doctor‐patient contacts was it the only service provided and in 48% it was only a part of the management of the episode. Diagnostic categories and their significance with regard to treatment and the need for a doctor to perform all services are reviewed. The incidence of anxiety states as a primary or lesser rank diagnosis is also examined, and a surprisingly low incidence (10%) of anxiety is recorded. The diagnostic categories of those doctor‐patient contacts made for the first time are analysed. From this base estimates are projected, for the “average survey doctor”, of the numbers of new principal diagnoses per category which he may expect to make per annum.