The Use of a General Practitioner's Time

Abstract

In his presidential address to the Royal Statistical Society in 1951, Professor Bradford Hill gave details of a survey of the day's work of a doctor, based on records kept by doctors during the 12 months which ended July 1, 1939. The two main indices were attendances of patients at the doctor's surgery and visits by the doctor to insured patients, and varia tions were examined by day, week, and month. The same indices have also been used in surveys of the work of individual practitioners (McGregor, 1949; Pemberton, 1949; Fry, 1952). In an analysis of clinical records of eight practices, Logan (1953) measured morbidity by recourse to a consultation rate; Crawford (1954) in a survey of a practice in Northern Ireland conducted over a 2-year period used spell of illness. These surveys provide no detailed knowledge of the use of a doctor's time, the subject considered in the present report. It is by no means easy to obtain information on this matter without undue inter ference with the routine of practice. The time spent with each patient is not normally recorded, and it is difficult to assess in respect of administrative and professional work not directly concerned with the care of patients.