Primary care by obstetricians and gynecologists: attitudes of the members of The South Atlantic Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to determine the extent of primary care delivered by obstetrician-gynecologists and compare practice patterns with published primary care and preventive service guidelines.


METHODS
All 277 active fellows of The South Atlantic Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists were mailed a self-administered questionnaire. The type of primary care offered by these physicians and their attitudes about the training of residents in obstetrics and gynecology were surveyed. Physicians were categorized as generalists or specialists on the basis of the completion of a fellowship program. Descriptive statistics and chi 2 analysis were used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
Completed surveys were returned by 82% of the fellows. The majority of the respondents perceived their practice as specialty care for women. Generalists offered recommended screening services to women of all ages with greater frequency than the specialists did (p = 0.05). Both groups did not provide care for the chronic medical illnesses most commonly seen in a primary care practice. The respondents favored more residency training in those common acute illnesses frequently encountered in a primary care setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Obstetrician-gynecologists in The South Atlantic Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists selectively practice primary care. These physicians did not support caring for chronic medical problems frequently treated in an ambulatory care practice.
Higgins
R V
RV
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Hall
J B
JB
Laurent
S
S
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D009774:Obstetrics; D010820:Physicians; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012955:Societies, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health