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Denis Carragher & Peter Barry are doctors who consider the whole patient and their needs, just the sort of GP who is valued by their patients.
Michael Balaint summed it up in his thesis on General Practice "The Doctor, the patient, and the illness" A patient makes the effort make an appointment and or to come to your clinic, wait in the waiting area (often for a long time) and then walks through you door. They consider they have a problem, it is your task to find out what it is and address it, though YOU may think it trivial!
I estimate 30 out of 150 patients seen in a week are unnecessary. Medical certificates for mildly ill kids missing school. Certificates for one day sick leave after the event, and especially patients on numerous medications coming for a new script monthly because they are not co-ordinated to be filled with one consult.
In rural areas where GP's run the emergency department in small hospitals, patients come to ED after hours to get bulk billed
I estimate 30 out of 150 patients seen in a week are unnecessary. Medical certificates for mildly ill kids missing school. Certificates for one day sick leave after the event, and especially patients on numerous medications coming for a new script monthly because they are not co-ordinated to be filled with one consult.
In rural areas where GP's run the emergency department in small hospitals, patients come to ED after hours to get bulk billed
A number of visits can be assessed by the GP as unnecessary in that the patient has a problem that is mild in nature and a little reassurance is all that is needed. This is particularly the case with ill children, mostly due to viral infections. It is also the case with skin lesions which to the doctor's eye look perfectly benign. However this easing of concern and the opportunity to educate patients or parents is an important role for the doctor. Equally, some mild symptoms can be the early signs of more sinister illness. The earlier this is picked up, the better. There are patients who come in for B12 injections and other procedures or check ups at more frequent intervals than recommended, but these visits are usually GP initiated. I cannot recall patients who have just come in spontaneously out of sheer loneliness. It may well be that a patient apparently in this category has depression that needs treatment. We do not need more barriers to accessing GPs, the most cost effective part of the health system.