An ageing GP population and an unchanged gender balance among family doctors were some of the surprise findings from the latest general medical practice survey in the Republic.
The study, carried out by the joint directors of information technology training with the Irish College of General Practitioners, also revealed that a higher than expected number of GPs here use computers. "The finding that over a quarter of all GPs now record their consultation notes on computer has important implications," Dr Brian Meade, one of the study authors, said. "It should encourage hospitals and health boards to start communicating with us electronically, which could greatly improve the delivery of primary healthcare for our patients and improve practice efficiency for GPs."
The use of the Internet during consultations was, at 13 per cent, comparable to UK figures. "The disappointment with this statistic is that the Internet has a lot to offer, but most GPs find they haven't the time to use it in a long surgery," said co-author Dr Donal Buckley. Compared with the last major survey in 1996, there is a drop in younger GPs from 17 per cent to 14 per cent, with an increase from 29 per cent to 35 per cent in those aged 46-55.
Even more surprising is the static percentage of women practitioners in the State, which has remained at 30 per cent.
"As the vast majority of GPs graduating from training for general practice are female, it had been expected we would see a greater number of young female GPs represented," Dr Meade said. "It suggests that some of our training scheme graduates are leaving general practice for other specialities or perhaps going abroad."
The shift towards group practices is confirmed with a 5 per cent reduction in single-handed GPs. The number of practitioners in groups of three or more has risen by 3 per cent since 1996.
While it was known that an increasing number of graduates were opting for careers outside medicine, the latest research suggests doctors who had chosen general practice are leaving to pursue other interests. Should this trend continue, there could be a shortage of doctors for rural and inner-city practices.