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Estimates of general practitioner workload: a review.

K Thomas, S Birch, P Milner

The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners

|December 1, 1989

Summary

General practitioners (GPs) have a consistent workload of 38 hours weekly, including patient contact and travel. However, the key factors driving significant variations in GP workload remain unclear.

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Area of Science:

Health Services Research
Primary Care Medicine
Medical Workforce Studies

Background:

Accurate measurement of general practitioner (GP) workload is crucial for health service planning and resource allocation.
Previous studies have explored GP workload, but a comprehensive understanding of variations remains elusive.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and synthesize findings from four Department of Health-sponsored studies on general practice workload.
To compare these findings with data from the general household survey.
To identify potential determinants of workload variation among general practitioners.

Main Methods:

Review of four distinct studies measuring general practitioner workload.
Comparison of study data with general household survey data.

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Analysis of reported working hours, patient contact time, travel, and home visits.

Main Results:

Despite methodological differences, the four studies showed consistent measurements of GP workload: 38 hours in a normal week, including 24 hours of patient contact and 26 home visits.
In an annual average week, GPs perform 90% of this workload, accounting for leave.
Significant variations in workload were observed, but key determinants were not identified.

Conclusions:

General practitioner workload measurements are consistent across different studies.
The underlying reasons for significant variations in GP workload are not fully understood.
Further research is needed to differentiate between expected and unexplained workload variations, potentially linked to personal preferences.