Actual availability of general practice appointments for mildly ill children

Abstract

Objective: To determine actual availability and cost of general practitioner appointments for children with conditions of low acuity and low urgency, from the perspective of the child’s family. Design, participants and setting: A “secret shopper” method, whereby research assistants posing as parents seeking appointments for mildly ill children telephoned a random sample of 225 general practice clinics within three Melbourne Medicare Local catchments, which included urban, suburban and regional areas; the study was conducted between 1 August and 30 September 2014. Main outcome measures: Availability of same-day appointments and time until appointment; bulk-billing status of the clinic and/or ..