[The doctor: modest and conscious of own limits in knowledge].

A well educated doctor is not characterised by splendid performance and perfect knowledge, but by modesty. The consequences of this proposition with regard to examination in postgraduate education are argued and elucidated.

Pharmacoeconomics of gastrointestinal drug utilisation prior and post Helicobacter pylori eradication.

Background: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori prevents recurrence of peptic ulcer. In pharmacoeconomic analyses it is often presumed that after successful eradication no more gastrointestinal drugs are used. We investigated this presumed positive monetary effect using General Practitioners prescribing data, including information in diagnosis.

Factors influencing adherence to guidelines in general practice.

Objectives: To identify and assess the effects of general practitioner and patient characteristics on global adherence to pharmacotherapeutic guidelines.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study in the northern Netherlands, a two-level multilevel model was applied to patients (n = 269,067) in 190 practices with a total of 251 general practitioners. The dependent variable was the global adherence to pharmacotherapeutic guidelines as a measure of good prescribing in a general practice setting.