• Alan Katz, Anita Lambert-Lanning, Anthony Miller, Barbara Kaminsky, and Jennifer Enns.
• Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3P 3E5, Canada. alan_katz@cpe.umanitoba.ca
• Can Fam Physician. 2012 Jan 1; 58 (1): e62-9.

ObjectiveTo determine family physicians' practice of, knowledge about, and attitudes toward delivering preventive care during periodic health examinations (PHEs).DesignA stratified sample of 5013 members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada were randomly selected to receive a questionnaire by mail. Descriptive analysis was performed on a national data set of 1010 respondents.SettingCanada.ParticipantsA sample of family physicians from each Canadian province.Main Outcome MeasuresPhysicians were asked questions about whether they addressed aspects of preventive care, such as tobacco smoking, nutrition, physical activity, alcohol intake, and sun exposure with patients during PHEs. The questions were designed to gauge attitudes and identify barriers to the provision of preventive care.ResultsMost respondents (87% to 89%) indicated that they were comfortable counseling their patients about issues such as nutrition, physical activity, and alcohol consumption; however, many of these respondents did not refer their patients to specialists or provide them with additional resources to educate patients about the health risks of their conditions. While tobacco smoking risks and cessation were addressed by most family physicians (79%) during PHEs, other topics, such as sun exposure, were often overlooked.ConclusionThe results of this survey indicate that while many family physicians follow the evidence-based guidelines for preventive care, current levels of preventive care in the primary care setting are below national standards. It is critical that Canadians receive optimal preventive care to improve the outlook of the chronic disease burden on the health care system.

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