title: Preventive activities during consultations in general practice: influences on performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between the performance of opportunistic preventive activities in general practice consultations and characteristics of patients, general practitioners, consultations and preventive opportunities is poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recorded the performance of 11 preventive care activities by 10 GPs in one practice and examined the associations of performance of the preventive activities and the characteristics of the patients, GPs, consultations and preventive opportunities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Every patient, GP, consultation and preventive opportunity characteristic studied was independently significantly associated with the performance of at least two of the preventive activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest ways of designing more effective reminders, particularly for patients least likely to receive prevention counselling.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University of Adelaide, South Australia. oliver.frank@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Litt
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beilby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D013021:South Australia; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis