Prioritising general practice research

Winzenberg and Gill1 highlight the significant challenges associated with general practice research, and the importance of its ongoing place in the Australian health care system. They outline the need for evidence in a range of domains in general practice. While this is important, further research is also required in the area of patient safety and quality improvement in primary care.

In 2006, it was identified that 70% of adverse outcomes within general practice were related to failures in the process of health care,2 and more recently, that errors may occur in up to one in every 20 patients.3 Quality improvement activities driven by health professionals are considered most effective, but facilitating them requires data on their current practice and on the outcomes associated with any change in the health systems or practices in the provision of patient care.2

There are some common factors that contribute to patient safety and high quality care in the primary and secondary care settings. However, there are also factors that have been identified within the Australian context that are specific to general practice.3 Patient feedback has been used to identify these factors. Specific tools have been developed to measure patient reported elements associated with patient safety in general practice.4 These tools may not only be able to identify areas where patient safety and quality care initiatives may be undertaken, but may also measure the outcomes of any implemented programs.5

When considering areas for research in primary care and its need for funding, it is imperative to include research on patient safety and quality of health care. The development of an evidence base for interventions in primary care that lead to high quality, safe health care is imperative to reduce these adverse outcomes. However, funding the research required to manage these factors is only the first step in improving patient safety and quality care. Appropriately funding the implementation of any evidence-based interventions is the subsequent step required to improve health outcomes for the Australian population.