Family practitioner committee records--a neglected resource. 1. An information service for general practitioners...

Data held by a London family practitioner committee for the purpose of paying general practitioners' capitation and item of service fees were analysed every quarter for one year to provide an information service for general practices in the area. Each practice received a quarterly printout showing the age structure of its patient population, the numbers of new registrations and removals and data about items of service. These were expressed as rates which could be compared with those of the area as a whole, and with the highest and lowest rates found in individual practices. A survey at the end of the year showed that the service was welcomed and found useful by the practices. A fully computerized family practitioner committee could provide a similar service without great difficulty, and could make it more informative by linking items of service to specific age groups; data about prescribing and use of hospital and district services could also be incorporated when the relevant agencies are fully computerized too.