How do general practitioners view their role in primary prevention?

Abstract

GENERAL practitioners in the Severn Faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners were asked about their attitudes to primary prevention and their ability to provide advice on various aspects of patients' life-styles and behaviour. The results show that, for eight out of nine areas of patients' behaviour, the doctors generally thought it was highly appropri ate for them to provide advice. Doubts were expressed about appropriateness and their com petence in providing advice to patients concerning coping with poverty. There were some small dif ferences in the responses which were related to the ages and personal life-styles of the doctors, and between those working in inner city and rural prac tices. The categories of patients which were rated as most important to be recipients of health education were the high-risk groups of smokers, drug injectors and pregnant women. Compared to the male doctors, female general practitioners considered it more important to give health education advice to eight out of 12 groups of patients. The findings indicate that general practitioners within the Severn Faculty hold strongly positive attitudes to prevention, and it is suggested that the role of general practitioners as health educators should be further supported.