Consumer awareness, satisfaction, motivation and perceived benefits from using an after hours GP helpline – a mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: The 'after hours GP helpline' (AGPH) was added to the nurse triage and advice services in Australia in July 2011 with the intention of improving access to general practitioner (GP) advice in the after-hours period. Objective: The objectives of the article are to examine consumer awareness, satisfaction, motivation for use and perceived benefits of using the AGPH. Methods: A mixed-methods approach used secondary data on population awareness and caller satisfaction, and an in-depth qualitative study of consumers. Results: Awareness of the service was low but satisfaction was high. Users called the service because they did not know what to do, were afraid and/or could not access a h..