Access to general practitioners in South Australia: a population survey

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the timeliness of access to general practitioner appointments in South Australia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Face-to-face interviews with a random and representative sample of South Australians living in metropolitan Adelaide and country towns with a population of 1000 or more in 2007. PARTICIPANTS: 2507 people aged 15 years and over who had seen a GP in the previous 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Waiting times for obtaining an appointment with a GP, patients’ perceptions about appointment waiting times, and waiting times at the GP’s surgery. RESULTS: Most respondents reported that for their last visit with a GP, they were able to be seen on the same day (39%) or within 1 or 2 working days (33%); 20% waited more than 2 working days for their appointment. Nine per cent of respondents (159/1764) reported waiting more than 2 working days because an earlier appointment was not available. Respondents reporting lower levels of household income were more likely to report longer waits for GP appointments. Most respondents (78%) felt that they were able to make a GP appointment as soon as they thought necessary. At the surgery, 46% of respondents were seen within 15 minutes, but 13% waited 45 minutes or longer. CONCLUSIONS: In general, access to GPs is timely, and most South Australians reported that for their last GP visit they were able to make an appointment as soon as they thought was necessary.