Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether physicians practicing in one type of setting manage a medical problem differently than those practicing in another type of setting. The investigation took the form of presenting physicians with a simulated case of tension headache with a history going back three years, for which diazepam had been taken daily for the past year. Four simulated patients (aged 20-23) visited a stratified random sample of 111 general practitioners practicing in health centers funded by government (CLSCs) and in private group practice clinics in the Montreal area. Fifty-one per cent of group practice physicians recommended therapy rated as "inadequate" compared to 25 per cent in CLSCs; in addition, the data show significant differences between CLSC and group practice physicians in performing various aspects of the clinical examination. Alternative explanations for the observed differences are discussed.
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Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
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