4343.0 - Survey of Health Care, Australia, 2016 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/09/2017  First Issue
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HEALTH PROFESSIONALS


All information in this publication refers to persons aged 45 years and over who had at least one general practitioner (GP) visit in the 12 months between November 2014 and November 2015.


OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Some people may receive health care from health professionals other than their general practitioner (GP) or specialist doctors or nurses for their physical and/or emotional or psychological health. Examples of other health professionals include physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, psychologists, counsellors and social workers. This chapter presents data on people who saw other health professionals, as well as their overall experience with all health professionals.
    Over two in five people (44%) reported that they received care from a health professional (excluding GPs, specialist doctors or nurses) for physical health, while 9% reported receiving care from a health professional for emotional or psychological health. Those aged 65 years and over were more likely to report receiving care from a health professional for physical health than those aged 45 to 64 years (47% compared with 42%). Those aged 45 to 64 years were twice as likely as those aged 65 years and over to report receiving care from a health professional for emotional or psychological health (12% compared with 6%).
      More women indicated that they received care from another health professional for their physical health than men (49% compared with 39%). Similarly, 11% of women compared with 8% of men indicated that they received care from another health professional for their emotional or psychological health.
        EXPERIENCE WITH ALL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
          Respondents were asked about their overall experience with all health professionals in the last 12 months, including GPs, specialist doctors and other health professionals.
            Most people (92%) reported that they received enough information, or did not need information, about their care or treatment from a health professional.
              The majority (91%) of people reported that they had a health professional who had a good understanding of their health, health care needs and preferences, or that they did not have any health care needs or preferences, in the 12 months prior to the survey. This was more commonly reported for those aged 65 years and over than those aged 45 to 64 years (93% compared with 90%).