[Is family physician concept possible to resume?].
OBJECTIVE
An anonymous survey was performed in a sample of 454 adult patients from the catchment population of eight family medicine teams at Dugave-Travno Clinic in Zagreb to assess their attitudes towards the family physician concept, its advantages and shortcomings. These family medicine teams providing care for 16,077 insures also the number of families with all their members receiving care from these teams.


METHODS
The method of descriptive statistics was used.


RESULTS
Data were obtained on the number of families where only some members received care at the same physician's office and on the proportion of individual family members receiving care at family medicine offices. The sample indicated that more than half of patients received care from the same family physician, and that only one tenth of patients were without their family medical file. Study subjects considered that the family doctor institution contributed to improved care and were aware of the advantages of the family doctor concept. The concept of comprehensive family treatment could currently be implemented in half of the patients. However, the other half are broken up, receiving medical care at offices of different teams.


CONCLUSIONS
The family physician concept could be implemented in two ways: exchange of the insures among the teams at a particular clinic providing care for defined populations, and in administrative way. The family physician concept would require two strategic decisions: establishment and development of group practice, and virtual linkage of the family member medical data through an integrated primary health care information system.
Jovanović
Aleksandar
A
Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo, Medicinski fakultet, Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska.
Gluhak
Ines
I
Stevanović
Ranko
R
Pristas
Ivan
I
Jurković
Ljiljanka
L
Nekić
Venija Cerovecki
VC
Bezovan
Blazenka
B
Ostrić
Gordana Mrazovac
GM
Vuk
Zeljko
Z
Bilić
Jolanda
J
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003191:Comprehensive Health Care; D003625:Data Collection; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations