The future of general practitioners in the management of divisions of general practice.
BACKGROUND
The role of divisions of general practice has changed significantly since its inception. Divisions have evolved from simply assisting general practitioners in their practices and providing complementary support to existing health services through project work, to becoming major instruments of organisational change.


OBJECTIVE
This article looks at the short history of divisions of general practice and explores options for the future that may help build a better interface between practical medicine and the growing bureaucratic, organisational and managerial demands being placed upon divisions.


CONCLUSIONS
In the process of the change in the role of divisions we have experienced a paradigm clash between the essential work of GPs as effective medical practitioners, and their role in divisions as managers and leaders of the wider health care system change.
Morton
Peter Grant
PG
Eyre Peninsula Division of General Practice, and Lecturer, Department of Rural Health, Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Project, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D005380:Financing, Government; D011787:Quality of Health Care