Referrals to allied health professionals for people with dementia: an analysis of general practitioner data from two Australian primary health networks.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine general practitioners' (GPs) referral patterns to allied health services for people with dementia compared with those without dementia across two large Australian Primary Health Networks (PHNs).

Design

A retrospective cohort study using routinely collected general practice data. Logistic regression was used to compare odds of allied health referrals, adjusting for age, sex and socioeconomic status.

Setting

De-identified patient and episode activity data from 537 GP practices across two PHNs in Australia between 2018 and 2023.

Participants

Data from 1 153 304 patients and 28 667 517 GP episodes of care were analysed. After merging records, 693 328 unique patients were identified, including 16 610 patients with dementia. Subcohorts included p

SUBMITTER: Lee DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12481295 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature