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Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine logoLink to Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
letter
. 2019 Jan 14;112(1):5. doi: 10.1177/0141076818803498

Professional attitudes killing off primary care

Gerard Bulger 1,✉
PMCID: PMC6348563  PMID: 30798716

Grey et al.1 are correct in their defence of general practice. But I wish to add to my charge sheet that over the last few decades, doctors’ training has been driven by perceived litigation threats, thereby abolishing the concept the generalist. After 10 years of training, GPs feel they are still not qualified unless they gain further tickets for everyday procedures within a practice, creating micro-specialists. Younger doctors are only comfortable working behind large teams, preferably part-time and without ownership of practices and the responsibility that it entails. My comment2 that GPs should move into hospital was a nod to these forces that are changing medical practice. Somehow, we must work with these trends arising from within the profession. To resist is futile.

Declarations

Competing Interests

None declared.

References


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