Different generations, same medical care

The idea wasn't to bust myths. But it seems they have. Teams of researchers across the country wanted to see if family physicians from different generations practise medicine differently. And Dr. Ruth Lavergne says she was surprised to find out the simple answer is there's very little difference. She is an associate professor in Dalhousie's Department of Family Medicine and a Canada Research Chair in Primary Care. As co-author of this study, they found there are similar issues affecting primary care across Canada and the practice followed a pattern. The number of visits peaked for physicians with 27 to 29 years of practice, whereas doctors earlier in practice or at the end of their careers had fewer patient visits. We also discuss fee-for-service, virtual and collaborative care as ways to address the challenges to accessing primary care. The study was published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.