Image via Offspring/Channel 10.

By: Max Kamien , University of Western Australia

Australia spent $16 billion on GP-related health care in 2012-13. That’s about $690 for each person. Given that our public health system means each of us is paying for health care through our taxes, what should we expect from our doctors?

Generally, Australians expect ready access to a general practitioner when they’re ill, and they want a GP who will listen carefully to what they say. But there are many other services you should expect.

RELATED: How to get the most from you GP visits.

These include: dealing with ongoing problems; anticipating and preventing diseases you’re at risk of developing; promoting good health generally and providing appropriate health education to this end; helping you get the most out of all health-care professions when you’re ill; doing house calls when necessary; being compassionate and knowledgeable about the process of death and dying; and generally being your health advocate.

Empowering patients

One measure of a good GP is when she takes two minutes to diagnose your sore throat and then says, “Good, we now have ten minutes of the consultation left to examine you for skin cancers, review your asthma and answer any questions you have about your health.”

This preventive medicine approach aims to stop or detect the earliest evidence of disease and deal with it. At the very least, your GP should ensure that you know your blood group, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and your family’s history of important disorders, such as heart attacks, diabetes, aortic aneurysm, glaucoma and certain types of cancers. Being aware of these risks means you’re likely to detect abnormalities earlier and get them treated.

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Your GP should also teach you how to get the best from the health system. This includes knowing when you shouldn’t bother seeing a doctor. You should probably avoid your local GP when you have a cold, for instance, but not put off a consultation for new, severe symptoms until Friday evening. (Post continues after gallery.)

A few of our favourite TV Doctors.

Mindy Lahiri.

Gregory House.

From House.

Meredith Grey.

From Grey's Anatomy.

JD

Nina Proudman.

From Offspring.

Doug Rosser.

From E.R

Patrick Reid.

From Offspring.

Cristina Yang

Doogie Howser

McDreamy.

From Grey's Anatomy.

The former will just help spread the virus causing the cold throughout your doctor’s waiting room. The latter will result in referral to a hospital emergency department since the necessary community-based investigative facilities will be closed.

At some stage, you’re going to be too ill or too infectious to get to your local doctor’s surgery. You should expect that your GP will make a house call when that happens.

RELATED: Not all cold and flu tablets were created equal. How to choose one for your symptoms.

House visits are time-consuming and uneconomic for doctors. But they’re useful because they give her unique insights into your interpersonal relationships, financial circumstances and lifestyle. These insights will give her a better view of how you’re really coping.

That extra little bit

You never know when you’ll get really unwell out of the usual surgery hours. So your GP should ensure you know what sort of medical help is available to you and how to access it.

She should have good records that contain a summary of your current and pertinent past problems. Until the personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) system is working, you should have several copies of this summary. You can take it to any after-hours medical service you visit, or use it when you’re travelling. It will save you a lot of time, medical investigation and money.

You should expect more than episodic care for a series of acute illnesses from your general practitioner. (Image via iStock.)

A common cause for a patient suing her doctor is for her failure to diagnose a serious condition. But patients who go from doctor to doctor so that no single health professional ever has the opportunity of seeing their changing symptoms and signs put themselves in diagnostic jeopardy.

Medicare provides for the preparation of various health management plans. Used properly by a patient’s regular GP, they’re useful. But beware of other practices, which you don’t regularly visit, that want to maximise their income by doing a health management plan for you.

RELATED: Doctors tell all: The 8 most ridiculous patient self-diagnoses of all time.

Finally, your GP should be your health advocate. The modern health system is complex and patients can get lost in it. They can also get lost on hospital waiting lists. The advocacy of your GP can often work a bureaucratic miracle. (Post continues after gallery.)

10 foods you never knew were healthy

Coffee

KATIE SAYS: "Coffee is a really good snack, in particular if its milk-based to get the dairy in - for example, a skim latte. As long as its in moderation - daily guidelines say a maximum of three per day! And you want lots of water on top of that."

Cheese

KATIE SAYS: "Cheese is definitely a higher fat source of dairy, but still a good dairy fat. Choose low-fat options if you have it regularly, otherwise consume it in moderation. One serve of dairy is 30g, so a couple of slices is absolutely fine."

Chocolate

KARA LANDAU, The Travelling Dietician says: "Studies have been able to show that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, protect against heart disease, and improve HDL good cholesterol (not a bad start for such a tasty food!). Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, whilst white chocolate does not. These polyphenolic compounds are able to relax blood vessels allowing for better blood circulation, and thereby assisting with the maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels."

Bread

KATIE THOMSITT, Dieticians Australia spokesperson says: "Lots of people shy away from bread to achieve weight loss. But bread is such an important source of fibre, and plays such a helpful role in weight loss and preventing bowel cancer. A couple of slices of a dark, seedy bread per day is absolutely fine."

Eggs

KARA SAYS: "Yes, even the yolks are good for you! Healthy fat soluble vitamins, as well as half the protein found in an egg, are all found in the yolk!"

Avocado

KATIE SAYS: "Avocado is a healthy fat. Lots of people think its high-fat and not good for you, but its rich in mono unsaturated fats, which give you protection against heart disease. It also helps with controlling lower cholesterol levels."