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Table 1 Local context and services of individual trials

From: Impact of standalone and embedded telephone triage systems on after hours primary medical care service utilisation and mix in Australia

Trial

Catchment Areas * †

Notes

1. Statewide call centre

Capital city, small rural centre and Other rural area 1.42 M

Rest of state – small rural centre and other rural area studied 42,500

1 Operator with prior international industry experience under contract to the State Government) 2 Free to caller

2. Regional call centre

Capital city (inner region) 537,000

Non-metro satellite: Small rural centre 21,000

1 Startup operator

2 Free to caller

3 A GP AH walk-in clinic located adjacent to the ED of a regional hospital in the central metro area operating for part of the study period closed due to lack of demand.

3. Deputising service

Capital city and Other rural area 229,000

1 GP-based telephone triage and advice service

2 Pre-existing and continuing Deputising service offering an AH walkin clinic and home visiting service.

3 Service offered to patients of previously enrolled GP practices and new enrolled GP practices beyond the metro area.

4 Commonwealth government funding of the program derived from 'cashing out' historical MBS reimbursements to the service – home visits during the trial not billed to patient.

4. Local triage and advice service

Other rural area (ie small country town and surrounding community) 21,000

1 Hospital nurses using locally developed paper-based protocols

2 located in a local hospital in a rural community.

3 Aim to support GP own-practice AH arrangement to relieve GP AH burden.

  1. * Based on Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas classification (RRMA) [17]
  2. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics population projections for 1999 supplied to the Department of Health and Ageing