Role of research in development of organisation and structure of general practice.

Public Health in Primary Care

“…The paths of primary care and public health medicine have recently come closer: epidemiology was given credibility by clinical contact, and PCPs were made responsible for health promotion and disease prevention for the first time at the end of last century in Great Britain [Morrell 1991]. In the attempt to further attenuate these barriers postgraduate master's courses became available to PCPs and public health physicians were appointed managers at primary care services [Hannay 1993].…”

The 21st Century: The Age of Family Medicine Research?

“…32 As Mant et al have indicated, there is a need for more research in the primary care setting to provide evidence for the improvement of primary care services. 29 Family medicine is the leading discipline in primary care research and can contribute a great deal in the following areas 15,16,22,29,30 : the pathogenesis and natural history of common illnesses [13][14][15]33,34 ; the effectiveness of clinical care in relation to diagnostic tests and interventions in the real patient context 17,32,35 ; the impact of the doctor-patient relationship and communication on the process and outcome of care 19,20,36,37 ; health care services that are cost-effective in meeting the needs of the local community, in relation to epidemiology, help-seeking behavior, and organization of care 21,[38][39][40] ; and medical education and training that can infl uence practice and improve quality of care. [41][42][43][44] …”

Something to celebrate: As I recall

“…In 1990 most general practitioners were seeking smaller lists in order to improve the services they provided. Few of the screening and health education projects proposed in the reforms were supported by research evidence,13 and many of them were very expensive and were abandoned within three years. The accountability that was demanded of general practitioners greatly increased the management costs.…”