Is prevention unbalancing general practice?
Australia has begun to encourage and financially reward general practitioners for implementing preventive activities. While an expanding preventive agenda for general practice remains attractive, there is a real potential for opportunity costs, especially in the absence of realistic practice-based support for preventive care. These costs may include a shift from the needs of individual patients to those of the community. It is crucial not to neglect the concept of relationship-centred primary care (which may actually enhance preventive activities), as well as enhancing the preventive environment of the practice, when considering strategies to improve preventive uptake.
Russell
Grant M
GM
CT Lamont Centre, Elisabeth Research Institute, Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N5C8, Canada. grussell@scohs.on.ca
D001315:Australia; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*