Unmet need for General Practitioner (GP) services
Definition
The proportion of young people aged 15 to 24 reporting that they needed to see a General Practitioner (GP) in the past 12 months, but did not see one (for any reason).
Relevance
General practitioners are usually a person’s first point of contact with the health system and as such the accessibility of these services is important. GPs play an important role in promoting public health via education, early diagnosis and treatment. GPs also act as a gateway to specialist health services, if required.
Current level and trends
Among young people aged 15 to 24, 8.6 percent reported that they had needed to see a GP in the past 12 months, but had not seen one. This is considerably lower than the level in 2002/03 of 15.6 percent.
Proportion of people reporting an unmet need for a GP in the previous 12 months, by age group, 2006/07
Source: Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07.
