title: Duration of general practitioner contracts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The regular GP scheme is intended to promote continuity in the relationship between doctor and patient. The duration of GP contracts is therefore a key factor in the success of the scheme. This study examines how long the GP contracts last and whether their duration varies according to doctors' gender and age, municipality size and list size.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study encompasses 7,359 GP contracts throughout Norway, entered into between municipalities and doctors in the period 1 May 2001 - 1 May 2014. Duration is measured as the time from which the contract was signed until its expiry or the end of the study period. The material was analysed with measures of central tendencies and dispersion, Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median duration of a GP contract at the time of the study was 5.91 years. It varied between 2.75 years in the smallest municipalities and 8.37 years in the largest ones. The duration of a GP contract increased significantly if the doctor was a woman, or with the doctor's age at the start of the contract, increased municipality size and increased list size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If it is assumed that continuity in the doctor-patient relationship provides a qualitatively better GP service, the results indicate that patients in small municipalities are generally offered a lower-quality service than patients in large municipalities.
authors.affiliation: Nasjonalt senter for distriktsmedisin Institutt for samfunnsmedisin Universitetet i Tromsø - Norges arktiske universitet.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abelsen
authors.affiliation: Nasjonalt senter for distriktsmedisin Institutt for samfunnsmedisin Universitetet i Tromsø - Norges arktiske universitet.
authors.forename: Margrete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaski
authors.affiliation: Nasjonalt senter for distriktsmedisin Institutt for samfunnsmedisin Universitetet i Tromsø - Norges arktiske universitet.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brandstorp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards; D032982:Contracts; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D058005:General Practitioners; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000592:standards