More than 90% of Australian patients say their GPs are careful listeners who give them enough time to explain their problems, a national report suggests.

Research on patient experiences by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has revealed that most patients remained satisfied with their GP care in 2017/18.

The report, based on an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of almost 29,000 Australians aged 15 and above, shows that almost 85% of adults visited a GP over the 12-month period — up from 83% the previous year.

Overall, the percentage of patients who said their GP always or often listened carefully had increased slightly since 2014/15 when it sat at 90.3%.