BACKGROUND: Limited studies have explored the actual usage of the 'after hours GP helpline' (AGPH). OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the article are to describe medication-related calls to the AGPH and compare callers' original intentions versus the advice provided by the general practitioner (GP). METHODS: We performed a detailed descriptive statistical analysis of medication-related queries received by the AGPH in 2014. RESULTS: In 2014, 13,600 medication-related calls were made to the national AGPH. For 86.56% of calls, GPs advised callers to either self-care only, or self-care overnight and see their GP during business hours. Of the 1442 calls where the caller had originally intended to visit the emergency department (ED), 76.70% were advised by GPs to self-care, and only 5.48% were advised to call 000 or visit an ED. Overall, less than 2.26% of callers were directed to the ED, despite 10.60% of people originally calling with this intention. DISCUSSION: The availability of an after-hours service potentially prevented 1363 people from unnecessarily attending an ED and directed 228 people who had originally underestimated the seriousness of their condition to an ED.
BACKGROUND: Limited studies have explored the actual usage of the 'after hours GP helpline' (AGPH). OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the article are to describe medication-related calls to the AGPH and compare callers' original intentions versus the advice provided by the general practitioner (GP). METHODS: We performed a detailed descriptive statistical analysis of medication-related queries received by the AGPH in 2014. RESULTS: In 2014, 13,600 medication-related calls were made to the national AGPH. For 86.56% of calls, GPs advised callers to either self-care only, or self-care overnight and see their GP during business hours. Of the 1442 calls where the caller had originally intended to visit the emergency department (ED), 76.70% were advised by GPs to self-care, and only 5.48% were advised to call 000 or visit an ED. Overall, less than 2.26% of callers were directed to the ED, despite 10.60% of people originally calling with this intention. DISCUSSION: The availability of an after-hours service potentially prevented 1363 people from unnecessarily attending an ED and directed 228 people who had originally underestimated the seriousness of their condition to an ED.
Authors: Ling Li; Rebecca Lake; Magdalena Z Raban; Mary Byrne; Maureen Robinson; Johanna Westbrook; Melissa T Baysari Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2017-03-14 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Ana Babac; Martin Frank; Frédéric Pauer; Svenja Litzkendorf; Daniel Rosenfeldt; Verena Lührs; Lisa Biehl; Tobias Hartz; Holger Storf; Franziska Schauer; Thomas O F Wagner; J-Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2018-02-09 Impact factor: 2.655