GP Readership Survey of Independent Australian Medical Publications (November 2023)
A survey of more than 330 Australian GPs has once again confirmed the reach and influence of independent medical publications as being critically important for any organisation looking to communicate with doctors1.
The survey run by AusDoc was shared with 26,000 AHPRA verified GPs, with more than 330 completions received in just 72 hours.
The survey asked doctors to report their ongoing use of print, digital and email communications from the four leading publishers in the GP market.
The results showed the media market is incredibly strong across all channels, with AusDoc still dominating in terms of reach, frequency, and depth of engagement.
“Doctors are notoriously time-poor and prone to digital overload, yet use of AusDoc digital channels remains above 70% of the market, demonstrating the value and trust GPs place in independent, original content and journalism,” said Bryn McGeever, Managing Director of AusDoc.
AusDoc #1 in Website Engagement
When it comes to daily and weekly digital engagement, the AusDoc website commands the vast majority of traffic.2 Four out of ten (41%) GPs said they visit AusDoc every day, with over seven out of ten (71%) visiting at least weekly. This compares with only 12% and 22% respectively for The Medical Republic and even less for AJGP or Medicine Today.
“[AusDoc] provides the most up to date information relating to general practice in Australia” said one GP respondent.
Q: When was the last time you read or visited this website?
When asked why they chose AusDoc as their most preferred source, doctors highlighted:
- AusDoc has “reliable unbiased news”, is “… concise and relevant” and “… feels easier to read”.
- It provides a “… wide range of relevant articles, encompassing politics, clinical matters, humour, opinion”.
- Another liked the “tips, issues relating to current GP practice, Medicare updates and clinical knowledge checks”.
AusDoc #1 in Newsletter Engagement
This preference for AusDoc channels continued into high engagement levels for its newsletters, with 44% of GP respondents reading an AusDoc newsletter every day.
When asked why, one doctor said, “I like the daily [AusDoc] emails that keep me up to date with the latest news – politically, educationally” while another highlighted the “Straightforward information targeted to my needs as a GP”.
Q: When was the last time you read this publication’s newsletter (email)?
Australian Doctor Magazine is #1 in Readership
In print, Australian Doctor magazine remains the clear #1 for GPs to read. The results showed Australian Doctor magazine has the highest levels of readership, with over 71% of GPs having read it in the last month, compared with only 37% in the last fortnight for The Medical Republic.
Q: When was the last time you read or looked into ANY ISSUE of this publication?
In addition, Australian Doctor magazine readers are more likely to read every issue, with 45% of Australian Doctor magazine readers reading every issue, compared with only 19% for The Medical Republic. The respondents also said they read AusDoc in much more depth than all other publications in the study.3
“Just love it.”, “I need a hard copy in my hand … I read most of each magazine. AusDoc has How to Treat and I like the summaries”
Approximately how much of each issue of this publication do you usually read or look into?
1,2,3 Source:
AusDoc survey of Independent Australian Medical Publications, sent to +26K GPs registered on AusDoc. Results based on n=337 AHPRA Verified GPs who completed the survey. November 2023