An economic approach to the daily activities of private general practitioners

The present crisis in general medicine centres around the contents of the health-care services provided by general practitioners. These services were examined in a survey, carried out in 1975, of GP's daily activities. Collected data have been used to describe the characteristics of the daily activities of a typical general practitioner. Variations from this model have been interpreted in terms of three factors that characterize the local situation under which primary medical care is delivered: the nature of the health-care market, GPs' relationships with potential clients and their relationships with the local medical profession and environment.