GPs working in solo practice: obstacles and motivations for working in a group? A qualitative study.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to analyse the obstacles and eventual motivations of solo GPs for working in group practice.


METHODS
A qualitative study using 12 focus groups was carried out in primary care in French-speaking Belgium. The subjects comprised four samples of GPs: 20 GP trainers, 18 GP trainees, 25 women GPs and 25 other GPs. The focus groups were taped and transcribed. Two independent researchers carried out the analysis using the QSR NUD.IST software.


RESULTS
The participants (88 GPs) did not share a common definition of group practice-in particular multidisciplinary working-the need for a common pool of patients and shared premises. Their main sources of motivation for eventually setting up a group practice were better quality of life, continuity of care and sharing professional knowledge. The main obstacles were a required agreement between colleagues, the loss of a personal patient-GP relationship, budgetary constraints, and divergent views on group practice and GPs' profession (especially true for the association of GPs from different age groups).


CONCLUSIONS
The current study shows that GPs working solo have divergent views of group practice. However, they clearly perceive advantages to this type of association (e.g. better quality of life and continuity of care). This study also confirms the high level of stress and tiredness felt by GPs and especially senior practitioners.
Feron
Jean-Marc
JM
Centre Universitaire de Medecine Generale, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 5360, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium. Jean-Marc.Feron@cumg.ucl.ac.be
Cerexhe
Françoise
F
Pestiaux
Dominique
D
Roland
Michel
M
Giet
Didier
D
Montrieux
Christian
C
Paulus
Dominique
D
D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006123:Group Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011787:Quality of Health Care