Frith Rayner, APHCRI
American general practitioners have been forced to change their approach to practising in order to survive as new health care roles have developed in the United States, a visiting expert says.
Professor Larry Green, Senior Scholar in Residence at the Robert Graham Center in Washington told the General Practice and Primary Health Care Research Conference that a shift to the 'New Model' of care was stimulated by fear of extinction.
In the United States roles of physicians assistants and Nurse Practitioners have co-existed in hospital and primary care for many years. However, these roles and an increasing number of specialists moving into traditional primary care areas have been a wake-up call for the general practice profession.
The development of new roles and the erosion of traditional models of care that general practice slotted into caused general practice to re-focus on patient-centred care and open access to care for patients.
He said considering how new medical roles are developing around the world, determining workforce numbers was "complicated and developing in ways that are nearly chaotic and defying simple claims and predictions."
Australia probably needed a moderate increase in the number of general practitioners, but needed to re-think how its practice-based team worked and worked best together for the patient, to combat workforce shortages.
"However, projecting workforce numbers is such an imprecise science it can vary significantly depending on the approach you use," he said. "What is more important to determine for health policy makers is what you want GPs to do, and what role can be devised for other players in the healthcare team.
"Otherwise, how is it possible to know how many physicians are needed in the workforce and what the other members of the 'team' will do?
"These issues will have a significant impact on the health of our populations and an evident effect on each patient's level of care," Professor Green said.
Professor Green was sponsored by APHCRI to be a keynote speaker at the GP & PHC Research Conference.
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