General practice -- the state of the art: part 2

Most New Zealand general practitioners believe their patients should be given a full explanation about the aetiology of their illness and rationale of treatment. They also believe that patients can be trained not to make unnecessary or unreasonable demands, and that a general practitioner has to earn the respect of his patients. A high proportion of doctors believed in the desirability of regular cervical smears. Almost two-thirds of general practitioners had some access to hospital beds, mostly for obstetrics. Slightly less than one-quarter had hospital appointments, and a further one-quarter would welcome such an appointment. Young doctors were somewhat more likely to welcome such involvement than their more senior colleagues. New Zealand general practitioners do more practical procedures than their British counterparts. Less than one-half of respondents were in solo practice and the likelihood of entering solo practice appears to be related to age, with younger graduates tending to opt for partnerships or associations. Most New Zealand doctors use an appointment system and most have some ancillary help in the practice. Practice nurses were used in almost two-thirds of practices. Somewhat less than half of the doctors felt that their practice load was ideal and one-third considered that they cared for a larger practice population that they felt was desirable.