Doctor Resources and Guides

10 Minimum Standards for Communication between Health Services and General Practitioners and Other Treating Doctors

The AMA has developed a guide outliningTen Minimum Standards that should apply for communication between health services and, general practitioners (GPs) and other treating doctors. These Standards have been informed by the AMA position paper General practice/hospital transfer of care arrangements - 2013.

These Standards are intended to facilitate discussion between health services (Department of Health/Human Services, public and private hospitals), General Practitioners (GPs) and other treating doctors for the purpose of driving key processes to: enhance clinical safety; improve health outcomes, patient experience and resource efficiencies across Australian health system; and reduce avoidable hospital presentations and risk.

The Standards cover the following 10 areas:

1.      Referral information from a practitioner to a health service;

2.      GP details;

3.      Supported access to a GP;

4.      Timely communication;

5.      Handover to a GP;

6.      Information transmission;

7.      Outpatient services intake and appointment systems;

8.      Outpatient services communication;

9.      Discharge planning process; and

10.  Managing quality.

 

The AMA acknowledges the work of AMA Victoria (AMAV), with the Standards having been adapted from a similar publication prepared by AMAV.

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