Australia recently introduced voluntary patient enrolment with GP practices to improve continuity of care and help facilitate other health care reforms. This scoping review sought to identify the enablers and barriers to patient enrolment in primary care and the impact of enrolment on continuity and quality of care.

The paper finds the characteristics of patient enrolment models differ greatly in both form and implementation and enrolment had little impact on continuity of care.

There is evidence that enrolment can support other reforms, including preventive care and the management of chronic conditions. The review also found people in marginalised groups were less likely to enrol. The implementation of patient enrolment and its outcomes in Australia should be closely monitored to ensure it is meeting its stated goals.