Primary care in Switzerland--no longer attractive for young physicians?

Background And Objectives: A trend away from primary care (PC) to other specialties has been noted in Switzerland, as well as in the health-care systems of many other Western countries. The objective of the present study was to ascertain how many third-year residents graduating in 2001/02 from medical schools in German-speaking Switzerland wanted to become PC physicians (PCPs), whether this career goal was continuously followed, and how many subjects switched to or away from PC during residency.

Methods: Data reported are from the third assessment of the longitudinal Swiss physicians' career development study, begun in 2001.