In reply: Australian general practice generally provides good primary medical care. However, while Nelson says a significant amount of activity is disease prevention, the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health study indicates that, in terms of problems at general practitioner–patient encounters, prevention constitutes less than 9.1% of activity and, in terms of reasons for encounters, it constitutes less than 15.9%.1
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- 1. Britt H, Miller G, Henderson J, et al. General practice activity in Australia 2011-12. Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2012. (General Practice Series no. 31.) http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/8675 (accessed Nov 2013).
- 2. Baum F, Freeman T, Lawless A, Jolley G. Community development – improving patient safety by enhancing the use of health services. Aust Fam Physician 2012; 41: 424-428.
- 3. Baum F, Freeman T, Jolley G, et al. Health promotion in Australian multi-disciplinary primary health care services: case studies from South Australia and the Northern Territory, Health Promot Int 2013; May 8 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dat029.
- 4. Baum FE, Legge DG, Freeman T, et al. The potential for multi-disciplinary primary health care services to take action on the social determinants of health: actions and constraints. BMC Public Health 2013; 13: 460.
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