Background Rational prescription is a considerable issue which must be paid more attention to assess the behavior of prescribers. The aim of this study was to examine factors affecting family physicians’ drug prescribing.   Methods We carried out a retrospective cross-sectional study in Khuzestan province, Iran in 2011. Nine hundred eighty-six prescriptions of 421 family physicians (including 3...

Ambulatory computerized physician order entry (ACPOE) represents one strategy to improve physician ordering practices, compliance with guidelines, and patient safety. We surveyed primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding attitudes towards ACPOE and its various features. Most PCPs did not have systems for tracking test results and were concerned about missed tests. However, there was concern that...

Primary care, a cornerstone of several health reform efforts, is believed by many to be in a crisis because of inadequate supply to meet future demand. This belief has focused attention on the adequacy of primary care physician supply and ways to boost access to primary care. One suggested approach is to raise Medicare fees for primary care services. Whether higher Medicare fees would increase ...

I am delighted to see this subject taking a prominent position in discussions on human resources for the NHS and in particular in primary care. It was back in 1981 that Ian FM Saint-Yves and I wrote about this subject.1–3 However at that time the reaction from the profession was mainly derided and considered unnecessary. I hope the observational studies continue to show GPs how effective this a...

n engl j med 366;20 nejm.org may 17, 2012 1849 more widely available and reducing the national price tag, it’s hard to say how primary care physicians will fit into the delivery models that emerge. Will they be increasingly replaced by nurse practitioners and physician assistants? Will they become partners or leaders on multidisciplinary teams, spending more time supervising others and less int...