Family practice
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The problem list is an important tool in general practice for care as well as research purposes. As the central part of the problem-oriented medical record, it lists the main medical problems which the GP wants to have knowledge of during any patient encounter. The assessment of its quality is usually made by comparing with other sources of information on the patient's problems. ⋯ The patient can be used as a sourcetool for improvement of the quality of the problem list when its prime function is patient care. It becomes more complicated when the problem list also serves a research purpose. Clear inclusion rules will then have to be formulated.
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Respect for patient autonomy is an important ethical principle for medical practitioners; however, previous investigators have reported inconsistent attitudes amongst practitioners towards respect for patient autonomy. This study in empirical ethics used qualitative methods to investigate GPs' attitudes towards respect for patient autonomy in consultations for low back pain. ⋯ These results suggest that GP attitudes towards patient autonomy are modified by ethical and pragmatic factors, and vary depending upon the nature of the issue in question.