Medicine & Health Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity

Impact of GP follow-up after hospitalisation on re-admissions

Identified as a priority for investigation at the 2016 Research Priorities Forum hosted by CPHCE in collaboration with partners SLHD, SESLHD and CESPHN.

Project Rationale

General practitioner (GP) follow-up after a hospital admission is an important indicator of integrated care. We examined the characteristics of patients who saw a GP within 2 weeks of hospital discharge in the Central and Eastern Sydney (CES) region, and the relationship between GP follow-up and subsequent hospitalisation.

Project Aim/s

1.    Describe the characteristics of those people who saw a GP after hospital discharge (within 2 weeks) compared with those who did not; and (2)

2.    Examine the relationship between seeing a GP after hospital discharge and rehospitalisation

Project Design and Method

Data linkage study using CES-P&CH resource based on the 45 and Up Study. A cohort of 10 240 people who resided in CES and experienced an overnight hospitalisation in the 5 years following recruitment (2007–14) were included. Characteristics of participants who saw a GP within 2 weeks of discharge were compared with those who did not using generalised linear models. Time to subsequent hospitalisation was compared for the two groups using Cox proportional hazards regression models stratified by prior frequency of GP use.

Outcomes/Outputs

The effect of seeing a GP on subsequent hospitalisation was protective but differed depending on patient care needs.
School

CPHCE (CES-P&CH Collaboration)

Research Area

Health System Integration and Primary Health Care Development

Barr M, Welberry H , Hall J, Comino E , Harris E , Harris-Roxas B , Jackson T , Donnelly D, Harris M

Reports

Journal articles

  • Barr M, Welberry H , Hall J, Comino E , Harris E , Harris-Roxas B , Jackson T , Donnelly D, Harris M. General practitioner follow-up after hospitalisation in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia: access and impact on health services. Australian Health Review. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH19285

Conference presentations

  • Barr M, Welberry H, Hall J, Comino E, Harris-Roxas B, Harris M. General Practitioner follow-up after hospitalisation: access and impact on health services. Poster presentation at the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHCRIS) conference, Melbourne, VIC.2018.
  • Harris M, Welberry H, Barr M, Hall J, Harris-Roxas B, Comino E. GP follow-up within 2 weeks of hospital discharge in a community dwelling population of residents in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia; Presentation at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG), Chicago USA. 2018.

Sydney Local Health District, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Central and Eastern Sydney.

Sydney Local Health District, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Central and Eastern Sydney.