[Research in general medicine in France: challenges and perspectives]

There is a need to promote research within and on general practice to strengthen the place and prestige of the discipline, in particular within the Universities. This kind of research would contribute to improving the day-to-day work of GP's and consequently, the quality of the services they provide to the patients. The process is under way in all the industrialized countries. However, contradictory forces are crossing the field. The solo practice of most GP's is a barrier to interchange, it slows down the learning process and prevents all kinds of team work, all things necessary to research work. Furthermore, qualitative methods, which are inherent to research in general practice may not be recognized by the scientific community. On the other side, there is a great temptation to reject the conventional standards and proclaim the right to differency, which might be fatal.