The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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The study reported here was part of a larger survey investigating the nature and extent of disability in the Grampian region. Interviews with 212 people aged between 16 and 65 years who had a wide range of physical disabilities elicited perceptions of current and past service provision. Respondents expressed a strong need for information on disability services and reported difficulty in knowing whom to approach for this. ⋯ Although in general those interviewed were satisfied with medical information given regarding their diagnosis, they were more critical of information provided in relation to coping with the disorder, including that concerning benefits and services. The study confirmed the pivotal role of the general practitioner in the care of physically disabled people in the community aged between 16 and 65 years. The need to re-evaluate the role of the general practitioner in the provision of information and services is discussed.
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In this study of the influences affecting general practitioners' decisions whether or not to prescribe, 69 principals and five trainees in general practice were asked about the factors that made these decisions difficult for them and the circumstances in which the decision caused them to feel uncomfortable. Discomfort was reported most frequently in prescribing for respiratory disease, psychiatric conditions and skin problems, though the range of problems mentioned was wide. The range of drugs for which the decision of whether or not to prescribe was difficult was also wide but psychotropic drugs, antibiotics, drugs acting on the cardiovascular system and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were most often mentioned. ⋯ The results of this study support earlier work on the influence of social factors on prescribing decisions and show that this influence affects the entire range of clinical problems. The results also reveal the importance of logistic factors. The overriding concern of doctors to preserve the doctor-patient relationship and the range of attitudes, perceptions and experiences of doctors that have a bearing on the decision to prescribe begin to explain the apparent irrationality of some general practitioner prescribing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)