More physicians in public health: less public health work?
OBJECTIVE
The object was to assess changes in work priorities in local public health medicine in Norway over the period from 1994 to 1999.


METHODS
Two cross-sectional studies were undertaken of physicians working in local public health medicine in all Norwegian municipalities, using a postal questionnaire.


RESULTS
Half of the physicians working in public health in 1999 were recruited after 1994. Although the number of physicians working in public health increased from 505 in 1994 to 555 in 1999 (10%) an estimation of the total weekly hours worked decreased by 3.7% from 8,715 hours in 1994 to 8,386 hours in 1999. The vast majority of physicians worked in combined posts (87%), and they reduced their engagement in public health by 2.6 hours on average from 1994 to 1999. The reduction depended on remuneration model, speciality in community medicine, and municipality size.


CONCLUSIONS
Local public health in Norway was under pressure in the 1990s. For public health physicians, preventive medicine lost out to clinical work. No promising signals of change in the professional or political framework or in incentives for public health work are seen.
Pettersen
Betty J
BJ
Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway and Naeringsparken, Leknes, Norway. betty@posiedon.no
Johnsen
Roar
R
D000328:Adult; D003154:Community Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload