General practice workload during normal working hours in training and non-training practices.

The aim of this study was to design and test a form to review workload in training and non-training practices. The study was conducted in the Oxford, Reading and Milton Keynes districts over a period of one week and involved 31 training and 21 non-training practices consisting of 156 and 66 doctors, respectively. Doctors in training practices (excluding trainees) spent a mean of one hour less per week in contact with their patients than doctors in non-training practices.

Outcome of general practitioner referrals to specialist outpatient clinics for back pain.

In 1983-84 general practitioners in the Oxford region kept records of their referrals to outpatient clinics over a period of six months. Five years later in 1988-89 the general practice notes of 182 patients referred for back pain were studied to determine the outcomes of their referral. The actions initiated in the outpatient clinics were compared with the general practitioners' main reason for referral recorded at the time of referral.

Outcomes of referrals to gynaecology outpatient clinics for menstrual problems: an audit of general practice records.

Objective: To determine referral rates and intermediate and long-term outcomes for patients consulting for menstrual disorders and referred by their general practitioner to gynaecology outpatient clinics.

Design: General practitioners' records of referrals to outpatient clinics and retrospective audit of general practice notes to determine outcomes.

Setting: General practices in the Oxford Regional Health Authority area referring to 19 gynaecology outpatient clinics.

Patient participation in general practice: who participates?

A postal survey of 4066 men and women aged between 16 and 64 years was carried out in a general practice in Oxfordshire which had a patient participation group, established in 1972. The aim of the survey was to ascertain the knowledge and use of the group among adults aged 16-64 years. The adjusted response rate was 73%.

Childhood accidents: a practice survey using general practitioners' records and parental reports.

A survey of accidents in children under 16 years of age from one general practice (list size 6400) was carried out using a postal questionnaire to parents and an audit of medical records. Incidence rates were estimated by audit of medical records as 97% of accidents 'other than minor cuts and bruises' reported by parents had resulted in a medical consultation, and parental reporting was incomplete. For 1986, these rates were 254 per 1000 patients at the age of four years or less, 218 per 1000 at age five to nine years and 238 per 1000 at age 10 to 15 years.

Health checks in general practice: another example of inverse care?

Objective: To assess attendance at and the characteristics of patients attending health checks for cardiovascular disease offered in a general practice over a period of five years (1984-9).

Design: Medical record audit and postal questionnaire survey.

Setting: One general practice in Oxfordshire with a socially diverse population.