Low prevalence of communication between intensive care unit medical staff and general practitioners: A single-centre retrospective study

Abstract

General practitioners (GPs) have a central role in delivering care to the Australian community, which includes coordinating management of chronic diseases and treatment of patients after admission to intensive care units (ICUs). Consultations between ICUs and GPs may become increasingly relevant as patients of advancing age and chronic disease burden are admitted to ICUs. However, how frequently and for what reason such consultations occur remain unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and themes of consultations between ICU medical staff and GPs. Ten years of electronic medical records in the ICU of a regional Australian hospital were searched for patient admissions documenting the terms "gp", "general p∗", or "primary care∗" anywhere throughout the record. The proportion of ICU admissions in which a consultation between ICU staff members and GPs was documented was recorded along with the reason/s for the consultation and designation (resident, registrar, consultant) of those who communicated with the GP. Main outcome measures included the proportion of ICU admissions with a documented consultation between ICU staff and GPs, theme of the consultation, and designation (resident, registrar, consultant) of those who communicated with the GP. Of 13 402 admissions to the ICU, 137 (1.02%) had a documented consultation between ICU medical staff and GPs. Most consultations (n = 116, 85%) were initiated by junior ICU medical staff members seeking clinical information from the GPs. Few consultations were to discuss goals of care (n = 10, 7.3%) or care following ICU discharge (n = 15, 11%). Consultations between ICU medical staff and GPs were infrequent. Further research is required on how best to integrate the health care provided by ICUs and GPs.