GPs and consultants: is there agreement on patient management?

General practitioner attitude questionnaires were sent in May 1987 to 525 general practitioners (GPs) within Avon. A year later a section dealing with the management of clinical situations was sent to 198 Avon consultants, to determine how they would ideally expect a GP to respond to these situations. The majority of both the GPs and consultants held a common viewpoint, but significant differences were noted between the consultants and GPs in six out of the ten situations. Consultants with more than six months' GP experience had fewer significantly different views than their colleagues with little or no GP experience. GPs and specialists under the age of 45 years also had fewer significant differences in management than older GPs and specialists. The differences seem to reflect the clinical focus and interests of each professional group. We believe vocational training is a contributory factor to the differences and support the General Medical Council's proposal of a broader post registration training for all doctors.