Despite the constant chatter that general practice is in crisis, it appears that Australian GPs are a happier lot compared with those in similar countries.

A report from UK charity The Health Foundation, supported by the Commonwealth Fund, analysed survey data from almost 10,000 GPs across 10 countries including Australia, New Zealand, the UK and US.  

While 52% of Australian GPs said their jobs were “extremely” or “very” stressful, this was lower than the US (58%), New Zealand (63%) and the UK, which topped the list at 71%.

It was unclear what factors underpinned the UK GPs’ stress, although they did rank equal-last for time spent with each patient — 10 minutes on average per patient.