AMA Position Statement on General Practice and Public Hospital Integration
The AMA is calling on State and Territory Governments and public hospital administrators to urgently introduce processes to better monitor and coordinate patient care as the patient moves from the care of their GP in the community to hospital care and back to their GP's care, ensuring there is continuity of involvement from the GP.
AMA President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that for most Australians their GP is the primary health care provider.
"To ensure the best possible health care for patients through periods of illness or treatment, we must ensure continuity of care from the GP and the spectrum of other health care service providers involved, and eliminate any disruptions.
"One of the most common examples of loss of continuity is when patients are admitted to public hospitals.
"To assist public hospital administrators provide continuity of care, the AMA has adopted a Position Statement on GP-Public Hospital Integration that sets out simple steps to keep a patient's GP involved in the health care process and use their knowledge to help care better for patients, minimising the risk of disruption.
"Efficient integration of general practice and public hospital care can lead to improved patient health outcomes through better clinical management, improved continuity of care, and fewer re-admissions.
"Clear and timely communication is the key.
"GPs and hospitals can both learn to better communicate with one another for the benefit of their patients.
"It is up to the State and Territory Governments and their hospital administrators to develop and implement practical systems that allow hospital doctors, nurses and other carers to keep the patient's GP in the loop.
"This is not a big ask of the hospitals.
"Hospital doctors and GPs are very busy and the system currently works against them communicating with each other as often and for as long as they would wish.
"There must be streamlining of processes and systems to support good communication.
"With a growing trend towards earlier hospital discharge and for more care to be provided in the community, it is vital that a patient's transition through the health system is monitored by their GP.
"Most long-term management of chronic and complex illness is now provided through the primary health care system led by GPs.
"The AMA believes it is vital that hospitals and GPs discuss a patient's pre-admission state and together plan for their discharge at an early stage.
"This can help prevent problems such as doubling up on tests, adverse drug reactions and interactions, or medication errors.
"Proper integration between GPs and public hospitals is an important quality and safety issue," Dr Haikerwal said.
Some of the initiatives set out in the AMA Position Statement on General Practice and Public Hospital Integration include:
- Public hospitals to be compelled to provide discharge summaries to each patient's GP as a condition of that patient's discharge
- Public hospital accreditation to require the provision of timely, detailed and legible discharge summaries to GPs for every patient
- GPs to provide comprehensive referral letters to hospitals
Follow the link to view the AMA Position Statement on General Practice and Public Hospital Integration.