National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa)

2001–2006

Health Research Council of New Zealand

Peter Davis, Daniel Patrick, Andrew Sporle, Roy Lay-Yee, Janet Pearson and Martin von Randow

University of Auckland: Alastair Scott

Health Services Research Centre: Antony Raymont

Other: Peter Crampton, Sue Crengle, Gregor Coster, Phil Hider, Marjan Kljakovic, Murray Tilyard, Les Toop and Barry Gribben

This survey was undertaken to describe consultations between primary health care providers and their patients. The reports that resulted provide in-depth information on the content of consultations between practitioners and patients. The survey collected information from private General Practitioners; GPs and nurses in community governed non-profits and in Māori-led practices; doctors and nurses in accident and medical clinics (A&Ms); and a sample of the primary care activity that takes place in Emergency Departments (EDs).

A representative sample of providers was drawn for the study and included general practitioners in private practice, in community governed non-profits (GPs and nurses) and a smaller sample of Maori providers (GPs and nurses). The representative sample of practitioners was drawn from across the country. In the selected general practices data were collected for two complete weeks six months apart. Basic data were kept on every visit during those weeks, and detailed information was recorded on every fourth patient. Over 42,000 interactions were recorded with full data kept for 9,682 consultations. In the sample of 12 Accident and Medical Clinics data were only kept for one week. Over 6,000 consultations were recorded with full data on 1,430 consultations.

The complex sampling process allowed comparison between visits in different types of provider organisations, for example private GPs and GPs in community governed non-profits. It also allowed for comparisons of consultations with different population groups, for example by age or ethnicity. The Ministry of Health commissioned nine reports based on these data. Five of these described the experiences of doctors in different types of provider originations, including those in A&Ms. One report addressed the experiences of primary health care nurses and another described activities in Emergency Departments. Two reports focused on the experiences of Māori and Pacific patients in different provider organisations.

Raymont A, Lay-Yee R, Davis P, Scott A (2004). Family Doctors: methodology and description of the activity of private GPs: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02. Report 1. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Crampton P, Lay-Yee R, Davis P (2004). Primary Health Care in Community-governed Non-Profits: The work of doctors and nurses: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02. Report 2. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Crengle S, Lay-Yee R, Davis P (2004). Māori Providers: Primary health care delivered by doctors and nurses: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02 Report 3. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Hider P, Lay-Yee R, Davis P (2004). A Comparison of Primary Health Care Provided by Rural and Non-Rural General Practices: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02 Report 4. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Hider P, Lay-Yee R, Davis P (2005). The Work of Doctors in Accident and Medical Clinics: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02. Report 5. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Crengle S, Lay-Yee R, Davis P, Pearson J (2005). A Comparison of Māori and Non-Māori Patient Visits to Doctors: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02. Report 6. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Davis P, Suaalii-Sauni T, Lay-Yee R, Pearson J (2005). Pacific Patterns in Primary Health Care: A comparison of Pacific and all patient visits to doctors: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02. Report 7. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Raymont A, von Randow M, Patrick D, Lay-Yee R, Davis P (2005). A Description of the Activity of Selected Hospital Emergency Departments in New Zealand: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02 Report 8. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

Kent B, Horsburgh M, Lay-Yee R, Davis P, Pearson J (2005). Nurses and their Work in Primary Health Care: The National Primary Medical Care Survey (NatMedCa): 2001/02 Report 9. Wellington: Ministry of Health.