News

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Preventable hospitalisations soar in GPs’ absence: AIHW

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Rural patients are being hospitalised for potentially preventable conditions at an alarming rate, with new data revealing a person’s postcode continues to dictate their health outcomes.
 
Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released this week shows a correlation between geographical areas with lower numbers of GPs and the rates of hospitalisation, highlighting GPs’ role in preventive healthcare.
 
The data looked at potentially preventable hospitalisations within each Primary Health Network (PHN), finding rates were highest in Western Queensland, with around 4.8% of people being hospitalised, and lowest in Northern Sydney, with 1.6% of patients.
 
PHN hospitalisation rates per 100,000 people include:

• Western Queensland: 4823
• Northern Territory: 4729
• Gippsland: 2763
• Country Western Australia: 2757
• Tasmania: 2346
• Adelaide: 2306
• Perth North: 2000
• Eastern Melbourne: 1899
• Western Sydney: 1757
• Australian Capital Territory: 1754
• Northern Sydney: 1565 

The Australian average is 2293 preventable hospitalisations per 100,000 people.
 
According to the AIHW, the data represents a hospital admission for a condition which could have potentially been prevented through the provision of ‘individualised preventive health interventions and early disease management’.
 
Much of Western Queensland, the NT, and Gippsland sits in MMM6–7, while the ACT and Western and Northern Sydney are MMM1.
 
It comes as full-time equivalent GPs per 100,000 people range from 71 in MMM7 areas, to 127 in MMM4, and 115 in MMM1, with an Australian average of 112.
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins told newsGP the data is a demonstration of the value of GPs and their role in preventive medicine.
 
‘The Government can’t ignore that it must increase its general practice funding as a percentage of the healthcare budget, which has now fallen to 5.7%,’ she said.
 
‘We are seeing increased hospitalisations, ramping, hospital admissions, all of which cost significantly more to the taxpayer than a visit to the GP.
 
‘As a GP, my role is to keep people out of hospital and we work above and beyond to do that with our patients, but improving access so that people can see their GP means the Government has to fund general practice.’
 
A recent report revealed there is a health-spend shortfall between urban and rural citizens of $6.55 billion, or $848.02 per person, per year.
 
It also revealed the number of GP visits in very remote areas is half the rate of major cities, at 3.4 visits every year compared to 6.8.
 
At the same time, hospitals across Australia are at breaking point, with many at capacity and ambulance ramping being all too common.
 
Adelaide’s health system made headlines on Tuesday, after it was revealed that every hospital was on code white – operating above official capacity.
 
Dr Higgins said, especially for lower socioeconomic communities and at a time of increasing complex chronic disease, ‘seeing a GP is better than any wonder drug’.
 
‘We’re going to see more hospitalisations if the Government does not fund general practice to increase its capacity and reduce barriers for patients, because prevention is always better than cure,’ she said.
 
And for those patients who do go to hospital, it has been shown that a visit to a GP within two days of discharge is followed by 32% fewer readmissions within the first week.
 
Additionally, a visit in the first four weeks is followed by 13% fewer readmissions up to three months later.
 
‘Having a GP keeps people healthier, happier and living longer, the data supports it, because we provide continuity of care,’ Dr Higgins said.
 
‘It’s so much better for patients not to have to go to hospital in the first place – it’s better for the healthcare system and for the community because many of these can be managed in general practice.’
 
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AIHW general practice funding hospitalisations preventive healthcare Primary Health Networks rural health

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