Socioeconomic Pressure for New Methods of Health Care Delivery

Abstract

To the Editor.— A recent editorial in theArchives(104: 113, 1971) discussed socioeconomic pressure for new methods of health care delivery. 1 One change will be the distribution of some portions of patient care to paramedical personnel. This allocation of responsibility is not particularly new to dermatologists. Most busy offices have nurse assistants capable of performing many simple treatment tasks. However, many training programs are presently producing medical assistants who have the ability to provide general medical care that was previously considered strictly in the province of the physicians. Training assistants with special talents in dermatology is certainly within the realm of probability. National Program for Dermatology Report states, The shortage of physicians we now endure, requires new approaches to more efficient delivery of medical care that will promote maximum efficiency and utilization of the general specialized practitioner. In contrast to the medical team approach to the