How many general practice consultations occur in Ireland annually? Cross-sectional data from a survey of general practices

C Collins,R Homeniuk

doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01377-0

Abstract

BackgroundGeneral practice plays a central role in the Irish health system. This study aimed to determine a baseline estimate of the number of consultations completed in general practice in Ireland annually to facilitate evidence-based healthcare planning.MethodsA survey was emailed to all 3378 individual members of the Irish College of General Practitioners in February 2020 asking each practice to report on consultations by general practitioners and practice nurses occurring on the previous day of practice.ResultsA total of 507 practices responded to the survey, reporting 34,594 general practitioner consultations and 13,161 nurse consultations on one day. Extrapolating this figure nationally, we estimate 21,353,731 GP consultations and 7,749,615 practice nurse consultations occur in Ireland annually. An Irish person visits their GP an estimated 4.34 times a year and the average consultation time is 13.7 min.ConclusionsThis study shows that over 29.1 million consultations take place in Irish general practice every year. Innovative interventions to increase the capacity of general practice are needed to ensure high-quality care continues to be accessible in Ireland.

Highlights

General practice plays a central role in the Irish health system
The professional body for general practitioner (GP) in Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), estimates that 3496 GPs are actively practising in Ireland [6], both in general practices and out-of-hours facilities, with 25% of these working on a part-time basis
At least one practice was recorded for every county in Ireland; one third of practices who responded were located in Dublin, and the biggest concentrations were Cork (13%) and Galway (8%) which is similar to the population distribution

Summary

Introduction

General practice plays a central role in the Irish health system. The professional body for GPs in Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), estimates that 3496 GPs are actively practising in Ireland [6], both in general practices and out-of-hours facilities, with 25% of these working on a part-time basis. This number is similar to other estimates, such as 4250 GPs from the OECD and 4784 registered with the Medical Council [6]. It is estimated that around 25% of GPs in Ireland are currently working in single-handed practices [5]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion