The study published in the British Journal of General Practice analysed the data of over 19 million Australians (roughly 81% of the total census population) to understand how the pandemic and the widespread introduction of telehealth affected access to general practice and patient costs.
In the period of March to December 2020, almost 86% of people saw a GP, either face-to-face or via telehealth, compared to nearly 90% in the same period of the previous year. About 49% of people used telehealth to access GP services at least once in this time, up from less than 2% in the same period in 2019.
It was concluded that this maintenance of services was not true for all groups. During the early pandemic, total GP use (telehealth and face-to-face) was markedly lower for children, people with limited English proficiency, and those aged 70 and older.
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