Older rural patients are three times more likely to be frequent GP visitors if they are psychologically distressed, a new Australian study finds, prompting calls for screening to identify those at risk. 

The research analysed data on almost 6000 rural and regional patients aged 60 and over from SA’s 2013–2017 population health survey to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and how it affected use of the healthcare system.

Overall, 13% of the study group (mean age 72) had reported moderate to high levels of psychological distress and this was linked to more GPs and ED visits and hospital admissions compared to those who were less distressed.

Those with high levels of distress were 3.6 times more likely to visit a GP at least six times a year than those with low levels of distress.