Calling for the doctor: an evaluation of an after hours GP helpline in Australia

Abstract

In Australia and other developed countries, the provision of after hours primary care is a challenging policy area. Limited access to after hours services, geographic inequities in provision of services, burden on hospital emergency departments, and workload for general practitioners (GPs) have prompted governments to implement after hours primary care reforms. Telephone triage and advice services have been introduced in many countries to help to improve patient access and better manage demand for both in hours and after hours health services. In Australia such developments have provoked controversy. In 2011 an after hours GP telephone advice and referral service was introduced as a suppleme..