4839.0.55.002 - Patient Experiences in Australia: States and Territories, 2013-14 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/05/2015  First Issue
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

QUEENSLAND

Over four and a half a million (4,722,000) or one fifth of Australia’s population (20.1%) live in Queensland, with 62.2% living in a major city.1

KEY FACTS — PEOPLE 15 YEARS AND OVER

  • In 2013-14, 80.1% of Queenslanders saw a general practitioner (GP) in the previous 12 months, with over two-thirds (67.6%) of people receiving a prescription for medication.
  • In Queensland, 7.7% saw an after hours GP in the previous 12 months. While over one in ten (10.8%) Queensland residents needed to see an after hours GP, 29.1% of these people did not see one at all when needed.
  • Almost one in three people (33.2%) living in Queensland saw a medical specialist in the previous 12 months. Of those who saw a medical specialist, just under a quarter (24.5%) reported waiting longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment.
  • Just under half (49.2%) of Queensland residents saw a dental professional in the previous 12 months. While six in ten (60.0%) needed to see one, 18.1% of these people did not see one when needed.
  • In Queensland, 12.6% of people were admitted to hospital in the previous 12 months.
  • Almost one in seven (14.5%) Queensland residents visited a hospital emergency department in the previous 12 months.
  • In 2013-14, 14.7% of people in Queensland saw three or more health professionals for the same condition in the previous 12 months, with 15.5% of these people reporting they experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between the three or more health professionals.

COMPARISON WITH NATIONAL RESULTS
  • In 2013-14, Queenslanders were less likely to see a GP than all Australians (80.1% compared with 82.2%).
  • A similar proportion of people in Queensland received a prescription for medication compared with all Australians (67.6% compared with 68.9%).
  • People living in Queensland were less likely to see a medical specialist compared with all Australians (33.2% compared with 36.2%). Of those who saw a medical specialist, the proportions were similar between Queensland and all of Australia for those who reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment (24.5% and 25.0% respectively).
  • A similar proportion of people living in Queensland saw a dental professional compared with all Australians (49.2% compared with 49.7%).
  • In Queensland, a similar proportion of people visited a hospital emergency department compared with all of Australia (14.5% compared with 14.3%).
  • In 2013-14, Queenslanders were less likely to see three or more health professionals for the same condition compared with all Australians (14.7% compared with 16.1%). However, proportions were similar for those who experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals (15.5% compared with 14.3%).

REFERENCE

1. Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2013-14, June 2014 (cat. no. 3218.0)
.