title: Optimising the medical care of doctors. Part 2--before the consultation.
abstract: Best practice principles would suggest that the patient doctor contact the treating doctor before seeing them for the first time to ask if they would be willing to take them on as a patient.
authors.affiliation: North Coast GP Training, Lennox Head, New South Wales. hiltonkoppe@optusnet.com.au
authors.forename: Hilton
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koppe
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D019985:Benchmarking; D003142:Communication; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011364:Professional Practice; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards*