The science of general practice. A keynote address to the Wonca Europe Conference in Warsaw, Poland, September 2011

The principles of the science of general practice are those of all good science-open-minded enquiry, the critical evaluation of data derived from experiment or observation, problem solving and the publication of results. The use of combined qualitative and quantitative methods of scientific investigation enables us to get closer to the realities of clinical practice. A number of exemplary individual general practitioners have made exceptional contributions to clinical practice and our discipline-in particular, Edgar Hope Simpson and Lawrence Craven, whose work has not been widely recognized. Scientific research in general practice needs to be both credible and robust, aligned with our values and be relevant to our clinical practice.