General practitioners with special interests: risk of a good thing becoming bad?
There is a long tradition of some general practitioners developing areas of special interest within their mainstream generalist practice. General practice is now becoming increasingly fragmented, with core components being delivered as separate and standalone services (eg, travel medicine, skin cancer, women's health). Although this fragmentation seems to meet a need for some patients and doctors, potential problems need careful consideration and response. These include loss of generalist skills among GPs, fewer practitioners working in less well-remunerated areas, such as nursing home visits, and issues related to standards of care and training.
Wilkinson
David
D
School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Brisbane, QLD 4005. david.wilkinson@uq.edu.au
Dick
Marie-Louise B
ML
Askew
Deborah A
DA
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000639:trends; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D013038:Specialization / Q000639:trends*