A general practitioner's study of his own workload and patient morbidity

In 1972 a study of workload and morbidity was undertaken by a New South Wales general practitioner. The writer analysed 5,618 of his own face-to-face patient contacts and have been set out below. A comparison was also made between the writer's morbidity statistics and those of the Australian Morbidity Survey. Both surveys were conducted at the same time and it was interesting to note a marked similarity in the percentages of disease episodes when classified into broad groups (such as respiratory disease, for example). The results have been useful as a basis for future research, as an educational tool for undergraduates and graduates learning about general practice and as an aid in practice management planning.