Low prevalence of communication between intensive care unit medical staff and general practitioners: A single-centre retrospective study

Sophie A Witherspoon; Sophie A J Plowman; Paul Z Power; Anne Mulvey; Kimberley J Haines; Matthew J Maiden

doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2023.03.001

Low prevalence of communication between intensive care unit medical staff and general practitioners: A single-centre retrospective study

Aust Crit Care. 2023 Nov;36(6):1090-1094. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2023.03.001. Epub 2023 Apr 11.

Authors

Sophie A Witherspoon¹, Sophie A J Plowman², Paul Z Power³, Anne Mulvey³, Kimberley J Haines⁴, Matthew J Maiden⁵

Affiliations

¹ University of Melbourne Rural Clinical School, Ground Floor, Medical Building, Cnr Grattan Street & Royal Parade, University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Mount Isa Base Hospital, 30 Camooweal Street, Mount Isa, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: iamsophiewitherspoon@gmail.com.
² Royal Flying Doctor Service, 11 Barkly Hwy, Mount Isa, QLD, Australia.
³ Intensive Care Unit, Barwon Health, Bellerine St, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁴ The University of Melbourne School of Medicine, Department of Critical Care, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Western Health Department of Physiotherapy, 176 Furlong Rd, St Albans, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Intensive Care Unit, Barwon Health, Bellerine St, Geelong, VIC, Australia; The University of Melbourne School of Medicine, Department of Critical Care, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, Australia; University of Adelaide Discipline of Acute Care Medicine, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

PMID: 37055244
DOI: 10.1016/j.aucc.2023.03.001

Abstract

Background: General practitioners (GPs) have a central role in delivering care to the Australian community, which includes coordinating management of chronic diseases and treatment of patients after admission to intensive care units (ICUs). Consultations between ICUs and GPs may become increasingly relevant as patients of advancing age and chronic disease burden are admitted to ICUs. However, how frequently and for what reason such consultations occur remain unclear.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and themes of consultations between ICU medical staff and GPs.

Methods: Ten years of electronic medical records in the ICU of a regional Australian hospital were searched for patient admissions documenting the terms "gp", "general p∗", or "primary care∗" anywhere throughout the record. The proportion of ICU admissions in which a consultation between ICU staff members and GPs was documented was recorded along with the reason/s for the consultation and designation (resident, registrar, consultant) of those who communicated with the GP.

Main outcome measures: Main outcome measures included the proportion of ICU admissions with a documented consultation between ICU staff and GPs, theme of the consultation, and designation (resident, registrar, consultant) of those who communicated with the GP.

Results: Of 13 402 admissions to the ICU, 137 (1.02%) had a documented consultation between ICU medical staff and GPs. Most consultations (n = 116, 85%) were initiated by junior ICU medical staff members seeking clinical information from the GPs. Few consultations were to discuss goals of care (n = 10, 7.3%) or care following ICU discharge (n = 15, 11%).

Conclusions: Consultations between ICU medical staff and GPs were infrequent. Further research is required on how best to integrate the health care provided by ICUs and GPs.

Keywords: Communication; General practice; Interdisciplinary consultations; Primary care.

MeSH terms

Australia
Communication
General Practitioners*
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Medical Staff
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies