Sj. Wetmore et al., PROCEDURES IN AMBULATORY CARE - WHICH FAMILY PHYSICIANS DO WHAT IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO, Canadian family physician, 44, 1998, pp. 521-529
OBJECTIVE To determine how often family physicians perform 12 ambulato
ry care procedures and factors associated with procedure performance.
DESIGN Mailed, self-administered survey. The survey was conducted acco
rding to the Dillman Total Design method. SETTING Family physicians' o
ffices in London, Ont, and in surrounding communities. PARTICIPANTS A
total of 395 family physicians practising within the London area were
mailed surveys, 237 in London and 158 outside London. Response rates w
ere 80.6% and 75.9%, respectively. Nonresponders did not differ signif
icantly from responders in sex but included more solo practitioners. M
AIN OUTCOME MEASURES Performance of ambulatory care procedures, sex, a
nd practice characteristics of participant family physicians. RESULTS
For all responders, activities significantly associated with procedure
performance were delivering babies, managing psychological problems,
working emergency, and teaching. Mean total procedure scores ranged fr
om 6.55 for managing psychological problems to 7.68 for working emerge
ncy. Sex-specific analysis showed that practice location and years in
practice were significant factors for female but not for male family p
hysicians. Mean total procedure scores for female physicians were 7.06
(outside London) and 4.74 (in London). CONCLUSIONS Factors associated
with procedure performance for family physicians in and around London
included delivering babies, working in emergency, managing psychologi
cal problems, and leaching. Practice location was a significant factor
for only female family physicians; those practising outside London pe
rformed procedures more than their urban counterparts and at similar r
ates to male physicians.