Will children be “crowded out” of non-acute and preventive care visits?
As a society ages, adults become a larger proportion of the population. However, in Australia, the demographic reality is that while children have become a smaller proportion of the population, their absolute number has increased modestly.1,2 Thus, solutions for the increased care requirements for older people cannot be intentionally or unintentionally associated with a diminution of the medical workforce required for children.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Freed GL, Fant K. The impact of the “aging of America” on children. Health Aff (Millwood) 2004; 23: 168-174.
- 2. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Population by age and sex, Australian states and territories, Jun 2010. Canberra: ABS, 2010. (ABS Cat. No. 2101.0.) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3201.0 (accessed Jul 2010).
- 3. National Health Workforce Taskforce. Health workforce in Australia and factors for current shortages: April 2009. Melbourne: KPMG, 2009.
- 4. Scott IA. Health care workforce crisis in Australia: too few or too disabled? Med J Aust 2009; 190: 689-692. <MJA full text>
- 5. Taylor MJ, Horey D, Livingstone C, Swerissen H. Decline with a capital D: long-term changes in general practice consultation patterns across Australia. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 80-83. <MJA full text>
- 6. Bennett CC. A healthier future for all Australians: an overview of the final report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. Med J Aust 2009; 191: 383-387. <MJA full text>
- 7. Freed GL, Dunham KM, Gebremariam A, Wheeler JRC; Research Advisory Committee of the American Board of Pediatrics. Which physicians are providing care to America’s children? An update on the trends and changes during the past 26 years. J Pediatr 2010; 157: 148-152.
- 8. Family Medicine Research Centre. Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH). Public BEACH data. http://www.fmrc.org.au/Beach/public_data.htm (accessed Sep 2011).
- 9. Menzies Centre for Health Policy. The Menzies–Nous Australian Health Survey 2010. Canberra and Sydney: MCHP and Nous, 2010. http://www.healthissuescentre.org.au/documents/items/2010/12/357295-upload-00001.pdf (accessed Sep 2011).
- 10. Freed GL, Stockman JA. Oversimplifying primary care supply and shortages. JAMA 2009; 301: 1920-1922.
No relevant disclosures.