title: The morbidity spectrum seen by general practitioners in South Africa.
abstract: Information was obtained from a survey of a representive sample of 8% of the medical practitioners in South Africa in 1985. Each practitioner recorded all reasons for contact, diagnoses, whether a contact was new or a repeat, and demographic details of the patients over a 1-week period. Tables are presented only for general practitioners for contact rates of 70 causes of morbidity (ICD abridged list) as well as a chronicity index for each condition (the ratio of repeat to new contacts for that condition). Acute respiratory infections and diseases of the genito-urinary system were the most common reasons for contact, while diabetes mellitus was the condition with the highest chronicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, University of Cape Town.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Sayed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology