BackgroundAfter hours general practice clinics provide medical attention for clients with non-emergency situations but are seeking immediate treatment and unable to wait for a general practitioner during routine opening hours. Evidence on the impact that after hours clinics have on emergency department presentations is equivocal. This study explored outcomes of the Bathurst After Hours General Practice Clinic (BAHGPC). Specifically it examined: clients’ perceived urgency of, and satisfaction with their presentation to the BAHGPC; general practitioners’ perception of the appropriateness of presentations to the BAHGPC; and whether the frequency of non-urgent and semi-urgent emergency department presentations at Bathurst Base Hospital has changed since the opening of the BAHGPC.MethodsClients presenting to the BAHGPC from 01/02/2015 to 30/06/2015 were asked to participate in the client presentation survey and follow-up satisfaction survey. General practitioner surveys were completed for individual clients from 01/12/2014 to 30/06/2015 to document the appropriateness of each presentation. Descriptive statistics are used to describe survey responses. Thematic analysis was applied for qualitative responses. Emergency department presentations were retrieved from the Emergency Department Data Collection. A comparison of presentations in the two years prior and subsequent to the opening of the BAHGPC was conducted using independent T-tests and Chi-square tests to compare mean presentations and proportional data for the different time periods examined.ResultsMost clients (76%) presenting to the BAHGPC classified their visit as essential. General practitioners considered most presentations to be appropriate (87%). Sixty percent (60%) of clients would have gone to the emergency department had the BAHGPC not been operational. Client satisfaction was high and 99% would use the clinic again. A significant reduction in total non-urgent presentations to the Emergency Department occurred in the two years since the opening of the BAHGPC clinic compared to the two years prior (418.5 vs. 245.5; P < 0.05).ConclusionsThere was concordance between general practitioners and clients regarding the appropriateness of presentations to the BAHGPC. The findings of this study highlight that after hours general practitioner clinics are an essential service in regional areas and contribute to reducing the burden of non-urgent presentations to the local emergency department.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-017-0657-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This pilot study found some evidence that small/medium-area farms implement fewer safety practices than large-area farms. A larger study is warranted to investigate this further, with particular focus on barriers and ways to overcome them. This could have important ramifications for government policies supporting struggling farmers on small/medium-area farms.

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 placed immediate pressure on health services. Undergraduate medical education was consequently impacted with decreased availability of health professionals for teaching and supervising hospital placements. At a time when more Doctors were needed, universities across the globe were required to change the way they taught medicine to ensure students could complete their medical degree without delays. In a state and territory of Australia, the university sector worked with health services and organisations to establish the Assistant in Medicine (AiM) program. The AiM program employed final year medical students to assistant in hospitals, whilst also supporting them to continue their studies. The 2020 AiMing High program that was rolled out at a regional hospital (Bathurst Health Service, New South Wales) was evaluated to determine whether the program was a success from the perspective of hospital staff.Methods: At the Bathurst Health Service (regional New South Wales), 17 Western Sydney University final year medical students participated in the AiMing High program for 16-weeks. Hospital staff were invited to participate in a survey at the commencement and completion of AiM term. Focus groups/interviews were completed with hospital staff and AiM supervisors. Analysis was completed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Hospital staff reported that the AiMing High program provided an enhanced learning opportunity for medical students. Staff and supervisors observed students grow in regards to increased confidence and taking on more responsibility, ability to communicate and work in a multidisciplinary team environment, and clinical and professional competencies. It was commonly reported that the students worked at an internship level. The AiM program was seen as a potential new way of providing education, however improvements in staff orientation regarding AiMs scope of practice would be needed. Conclusions: The AiM program was seen as a success by staff as it added clinical value to this under-resourced regional hospital, whilst also providing students with an education that enabled them to graduate from medicine. Ongoing evaluation of such a program will determine the best way to prepare senior medical students for internship.