Family practice and social and political change.
Reform in US medicine has been a longstanding process, and it has always been intertwined with politics and social issues. So-called organized medicine has often resisted reform, but despite this resistance, many changes took place in the US medical system in the 1960s. The establishment of the specialty of family practice coincided with these changes. Although family practice was established with many goals in mind, many of the goals did not match the public's perceived needs, and there is still much unfinished business. One of family practice 's current tasks is to examine its accountability to the public and decide what it can provide for the public good.
Stephens
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Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA. ggstephens@aol.com
D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends*; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D011057:Politics; D012922:Social Change