Work patterns of general practitioners before and after the introduction of the 1990 contract

A questionnaire survey was undertaken to examine the work patterns of general practitioners before and after the introduction of the 1990 contract. A total of 408 and 697 general practitioners responded to the questionnaire in 1989 and 1991, respectively (response rates of 47% and 82%). In 1991 general practitioners reported spending significantly more evenings on paperwork than in 1989 and significantly more reported being exhausted or stressed at the end of five or more working days. General practitioners were significantly less likely to work four or more sessions per week outside the practice in 1991 than in 1989. There was no difference between 1989 and 1991 in the number of surgeries carried out per week or the number of nights spent on call in a month. In 1991 there was no correlation between the Jarman index allocated to a practice principal and the numbers of surgeries per week, sessions worked outside the practice per week, nights on call per month, weekdays exhausted or stressed, or evenings each week spent on paperwork. Older doctors in 1991 were significantly more likely to work 12 or more nights on call per month, to spend more time doing paperwork in the evenings and more likely to report exhaustion than younger doctors. Women doctors in 1991 were significantly more likely to report doing 10 or more surgeries per week than their men colleagues. It has become more common for general practitioners to complete paperwork at home and report exhaustion or stress since the introduction of the 1990 contract.