TOP Docs: Family Physicians with Competing Demands and the Right Priorities—Individual, Family, and Community Health

A number of studies have examined the effects of competing demands during an office visit on family physician care. Some studies conclude that competing demands drive out top-quality care.1–5 In fact, there are so many studies that suggest family physicians provide less care than what is recommended by some set of guidelines that I would hate to enumerate them. Usually these studies examine a small set of diseases or process measures. However, more family physicians and fewer specialists in a geographic area are associated with better outcomes.6–