Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31640837›Full record

Observational studyPrimary health care research & development2019

Understanding the use and impact of allied health services for people with chronic health conditions in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia: a five-year longitudinal analysis.

Margo Linn Barr, Heidi Welberry, Elizabeth J Comino, Ben F Harris-Roxas, Elizabeth Harris, Jane Lloyd, Sarah Whitney, Claire O'Connor, John Hall, Mark Fort Harris

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Primary health care research & development, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Barriers and enablers to effective weight management for people living with overweight and obesity: A rapid scoping review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025
    Article
  7. Use of Allied Health Services in Rural Northern Victoria, Australia.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Adopting a systems-thinking approach to optimise dietary and exercise referral practices for cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Margo Linn BarrCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3007-0216
Heidi WelberryCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Elizabeth J CominoCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Ben F Harris-RoxasCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Elizabeth HarrisCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jane LloydCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sarah WhitneySydney Local Health District, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Claire O'ConnorSouth Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
John HallFaculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mark Fort HarrisCentre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AUSouth Eastern Sydney Local Health District · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo describe the characteristics of people in Central and Eastern Sydney (CES), NSW, who had a General Practice Management Plan (GPMP) and claimed for at least one private allied health service item; and to examine if allied health service use results in less hospitalisations over a five-year period.

backgroundThe number of people living with chronic health conditions is increasing in Australia. The Chronic Disease Management programme was introduced to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to provide a more structured approach to managing patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs. The programme supports general practitioners claiming up to one GPMP and one Team Care Arrangement every year, and the patient additionally claiming for up to five private allied health services visits.

methodsA prospective longitudinal study was conducted. The sample consisted of 5771 participants in CES who had a GPMP within a two-year health service utilisation baseline period (2007-2009). The analysis used the 45 and Up Study questionnaire data linked to the MBS, hospitalisation, death and emergency department data for the period 2006-2014.

findingsOf the eligible participants, 43% (2460) had at least one allied health service item claim in the subsequent 12 months. Allied health services were reported as physiotherapy, podiatry and other allied health services. The highest rates of allied health service use were among participants aged 85 years and over (49%). After controlling for confounding factors, a significant difference was found between having claimed for five or more physiotherapy services and emergency admissions (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72-0.95) and potentially preventable hospitalisations (HR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.64-0.96) in the subsequent five years. Use of allied health service items was well targeted towards those with chronic and complex care needs, and use of physiotherapy services was associated with less avoidable hospitalisations.

Indexed as

Disease ManagementAgedAged, 80 and overChronic DiseaseFemaleHealth ServicesHealth Services AccessibilityHealth Services ResearchHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedNational Health ProgramsNew South WalesPrimary Health CareProspective Studiesallied health servicescare plancoordinated carehospitalisationsintegrated carephysiotherapypodiatryprimary health care

Identifiers

PMID31640837
PMCPMC6842649
OpenAlexW2981338733

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.