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How many Aussies went to their GP in the last year -

16.5 million Aussies (84% of the population) visited their GP in 2017-18, according to the Patient Experience Survey.

89% of patients were female, whilst 80% were male.

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Young adults visiting their GP - The media release also confirms that 5.2 million of those who visited a general practitioner (GP) in 2017-18 were between 15 and 34 of age.

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Being heard by their GP's -

67% of Aussies (15-34) felt their GP's were all ears to their symptoms and issues.

Whereas 83% of Aussies aged 65 or over felt their doctors always listened carefully to them.

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Spending quality time -

70% of these young Aussies (15-34) felt their GP's spent enough time with them. 84% of older patients felt the same way. 

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How young patients feel GP's treat them -

The data also showed that young Aussies (15-34) felt they were treated with less respect (75%) than older generations (87%).

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Queues and waiting periods - Patients aged between 15 to 64 are more likely to report or complain about long waiting periods (21%) than those aged 65 or over (12%).

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Urgent care -

9% of the whole Aussie population saw their GP for an urgent issue in need of medical care. 

63% of that 9% were able to see their GP within four hours of getting the appointment.

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Appointment costs -

One in 25 Aussies (4%) delayed or did not see their GP due to costs. 

Moreover, female patients were more likely to miss an appointment due to the cost (5% females, 3% males).

Aussies aged between 15 to 54 were also more likely to back out of an appointment than those over 55, due to cost.

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After hours GP care -

In the last 12 months, 9% of the Aussie population saw a GP later in the day during 'after hours'.

Out of those going after-hours GP care, 10% were between 15 and 34 years of age.

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Unable to see a GP - About 19% of people who needed to see a GP after hours was unable to see a doctor altogether. This has decreased since 2013-2014, when it was 23%.

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Where Aussies meet their GP's -

The majority (41%) of GP appointments take place in a general practice clinics, 19% in night clinics, and 28% are home visits. 

Home visits have more than doubled since 2013-2014 when it was only 13%, whereas late night clinic visits have decreased from 26% in 2013-2014.

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Doctor's orders (and prescriptions) -

Out of the 16.5 million Aussies who saw a GP in 2017-18, 70% were given a prescription from a doctor.

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Unable to get prescriptions -

7% of Aussie patients who were prescribed with medication did not get their prescription due to cost.

This was more the case for Aussies living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, where 10% of patients were unable to get their medications because of its price.

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Medical specialists -

37% of the Australian population went to see a medical specialist in 2017-18.

Women (41%) were more likely to visit a specialist than men (34%).

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Getting an appointment - Out of all the Aussies who saw a medical specialist, 22% felt they had to wait longer than necessary to see them or get an appointment.

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High satisfaction rate - Out of the same 7.3 million people who saw a medical specialist in 2017-18, 80% felt they were listened to and spent enough time with the specialist during their appointment.

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Dental care -

Exactly 50% of Aussies saw a dentist or had dental care in the last 12 months. 

Out of that, 54% were women and 46% were men.

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Going to the dentist -

61% of people living in socio-economic disadvantageous areas went to the dentist in 2017-18.

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Expensive dentistry -

In 2017-18, Aussies were more likely to cancel or delay a dental appointment than any other medical care due to cost.

21% of people aged between 15 and 34 delayed their appointments, in contrast to 9% of those who were 65 or older.

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Hospitalisation -

In the last year (2017-18), 2.4 million Australians were admitted into hospital. 

Out of that number, 20% were 65 or older and 10% were aged 15 to 34.

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Emergency unit -

2.8 million (14%) Aussies were taken into urgent care in the emergency department (ER) in 2017-18. 

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More women in urgent care - According to the Patient Experience Survey, women between the ages of 15 and 44 were twice as likely than men to be admitted into the ER.

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Going to the ER -

Out of the people who were taken into the ED, 45% of Aussies were taken in by ambulance or because of a serious illness.

18% of them believed they could have received the same care, treatment, and answers from a GP. 

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Hospital nurses - Out of the 2.4 million Aussies admitted to hospital in the last 12 months, 78% were very appreciative of the nurses who took care of them and listened to them.

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ER nurses - 75% of the 2.8 million who were taken to the ER felt the nurses listened to patients carefully and 73% appreciated all the time the nurses took to attend them.

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Private health care -

One out of every two people (57%) who are 15 years old or above have some form of private health care and insurance.

Aussies living in cities are more likely to have private insurance (60%) than those who live in regional and remote areas of the country (49%).

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Seeing more than one professional -

17% of Aussies report to have seen three or more specialists regarding their condition.

Out of that 17%, 70% feel that at least one doctor or medical specialist has been able to coordinate the correct care and cure for them.

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Professional communication - The survey also reports that 13% of Aussies who saw three or more doctors regarding their condition felt there was a lack of communication among health professionals.

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