title: Is the traditional family doctor an anachronism?
abstract: The polyclinics debate should recognise the need to balance the benefits of long-term personal doctor-patient relationship with the broader improved health outcomes from evidence based inputs from multidisciplinary teams in primary care. There is increasing evidence from the international health literature that a focus on integrated health systems is the key to better health outcomes both at the individual and population levels, in addition to being more cost effective. Although there is some evidence that other healthcare professionals such as nurse practitioners can deliver equally high health outcomes for patients, the GP role is not an anachronism and even seems increasingly more important in the 21st century given the increasing complexity of primary care and long term conditions.
authors.affiliation: GP Principal and Walport Clinical Lecturer, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bentzen
authors.affiliation: Assistant Research Fellow, Deputy Director of Social Policy Research Division, Development Research Center of the State Council of People's Republic of China, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Liejun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: continuity of patient care; family practice; health service research; holistic health; patient advocacy; policy making trust; professional practice