This paper reports our experience with the use of an improved self-administered questionnaire for assessing quality of life (QOL) after acute myocardial infarction. The modified questionnaire significantly increased the proportion of patients able to answer all questions from 84%-92%. The additional questions in the improved questionnaire increased the total variance explained by the Emotional, Physical and Social QOL factors from 65.8%-66.5%. Internal consistency and construct validity were assessed and found to be high. Overall, we have found that this improved questionnaire is easy to administer and that it possesses desirable properties of validity and reliability.

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Objective: To investigate the frequency, cause, and severity of adverse drug events (ADEs) among general practice patients. Design: Between May 2003 and February 2004, a subsample of 282 general practitioners in the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health) data collection program recorded patient responses to questions about ADEs. Main outcome measures: Frequency, cause, and severity of ADEs; and frequency of hospitalisation and proportion of events that were preventable. Results: From 8215 encounters, GPs reported that 852 patients (10.4%) had experienced an ADE in the previous 6 months. Patients aged over 45 years (versus under 45 years), children aged 1–4 years (versus older children), and female patients (versus male patients) were significantly more likely to have experienced an ADE. Most patients (83.5%) had experienced only one ADE, with 10.7% and 5.8% experiencing two and three or more events, respectively. For 71.9% of patients, one reason for the most recent event was a recognised side effect, followed by drug sensitivity (12.4%) and allergy (11.0%). Over half of patients were rated as having a “mild” event, with 35.8% rated as “moderate”, and 10.0% as “severe”. GPs classified 23.2% of events as preventable, and 7.6% of events resulted in hospitalisation. Conclusion: Our study reveals the high frequency of ADEs in patients attending general practice. This level of morbidity makes ADEs one of the most significant causes of morbidity in the Australian community.

Objective: To measure the independent effect on length of general‐practice consultations of a range of characteristics of the general practitioner (GP), practice, patient and consultation, as a basis for considering future GP workforce needs. Design: Secondary analysis of data from the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) study. Setting and participants: Data were obtained from 1904 GPs Australia‐wide on 70 758 consultations between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2002; all consultations that were claimable from the Australian Government's Medicare system as General Practice Attendances and had recorded start and finish times were included. Main outcome variables: Characteristics of the GP, practice, patient and consultation that were significantly related to consultation length, determined by multiple regression analysis. Results: The following variables had an independent positive effect on consultation length: GP female, older, graduated in Australia, FRACGP‐qualified, and in rural practice; patient female, older, new to practice, with higher socioeconomic status, no health concession card, more reasons for encounter, and more problems managed; and management of specific problem types (social, psychological and female genital problems), management of chronic disease, and provision of clinical treatments. Conclusion: The independent relationship of some GP, practice, patient and consultation characteristics with length of consultation may affect future GP supply. These factors should be considered in modelling future general practice workforce needs.

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Overweight and obesity are prevalent in children presenting to Australian general practice but GPs do not use most of the available opportunities to manage this problem.

Objective: To better understand the role that diagnostic test‐ordering behaviour of general practitioners has on current pertussis epidemiology in Australia. Design and setting: Analysis of Australian general practice encounter data (from the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health [BEACH] program) on 13 “pertussis‐related problem” (PRP) codes that were most likely to result in a pertussis laboratory test request and Australian pertussis notifications data (from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System [NNDSS]) for the period April 2000 to March 2011. Main outcome measures: The change in the proportion of PRP general practice encounters with a pertussis test request between 2000 and 2011, and the change in national pertussis notifications over the same period. Results: The proportion of PRP encounters resulting in a pertussis test request increased from 0.25% between April 2000 and March 2004 to 1.71% between April 2010 and March 2011 (odds ratio, 7.0; 95% CI, 5.5–8.8). The BEACH data on pertussis testing and NNDSS data on pertussis notifications were highly correlated (r = 0.99), and the notification data mirrored the likelihood of a pertussis test request in general practice. The proportion of NNDSS pertussis notifications with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐confirmed diagnosis increased from 16.3% between April 2000 and March 2004 to 65.3% between April 2010 and March 2011. Conclusion: An increase in pertussis testing following recognition of early epidemic cases may have led to identification of previously undetected infections, resulting in a further increase in notified disease and awareness among GPs. The changing likelihood of being tested may also be due to expanding availability and use of PCR testing in Australia.