THE SEXUAL HEALTH CASELOADS OF GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS IN QUEENSLAND

There is little Australian research which estimates the size and compo sition of the sexual health caseloads of General Practitioners (GPs). This study describes results of a random postal survey which achieved returns from 275 GPs in Queensland who had had at least one sexual hea lth consultation at their primary practice location. The majority of c onsultations in the previous year were attributed by GPs to 'mainstrea m' (non-commercial) sexual activity, although 38 per cent had seen at least one patient in that time who disclosed contact with a sex worker and 22 per cent had at least one patient who was a self-disclosing se x worker. Nearly half of the doctors believed that numbers of 'mainstr eam' patients had increased over the time they had practised at their present location, while more than 80 per cent had perceived no change in numbers of patients whom they believed were sex workers or clients. Younger female doctors reported more 'mainstream' sexual health consu ltations than other GPs, while older male GPs reported more patients w ho were clients of overseas sex workers. Estimated numbers of cases of confirmed STD roughly corresponded with the epidemiology of the disea ses. Implications for research and education are discussed.