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Definition of General Practice and General Practitioner

The term 'general practice' is not consistently used in international literature. In Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners defines it as follows:

General practice is the provision of primary continuing comprehensive whole-patient medical care to individuals, families and their communities.

General practice involves the ability to take responsible action on any medical problem the patient presents, whether or not it forms part of an ongoing doctor-patient relationship. In managing the patient, the general practitioner may make appropriate referral to other doctors, health care professionals and community services.

General practice is the first point of contact for the majority of people seeking health care, and often therefore the first point of referral. In the provision of primary care, much undifferentiated illness is seen; the general practitioner often deals with problem complexes rather than with established diseases. The general practitioner must be able to make a total assessment of the person's condition without subjecting a person to unnecessary investigations, procedures and other treatment.

General practice has a core set of clinical characteristics and practices, unique within medicine. These characteristics and practices are defined by the General Practice curriculum - developed and maintained by the RACGP and reflected in the standards set for clinical practice and the award of Fellowship of the College (the FRACGP).

Surrounding this well-defined set of core clinical characteristics and practices, there are significant variations relating to the demands of particular clinical contexts, and to the special skills of individual practitioners. Context demands generally reflect both geography and particular populations. The variable demands of clinical contexts extend – for example, from remote rural contexts with high aboriginal populations to outer metropolitan areas with high levels of chronic illness and/or refugee populations, and inner-city groups with high rates of HIV, Hep C and D&A problems.

General practice training is intended to equip its graduates with both core clinical skills and the ability to assess and address the learning needs arising from differing clinical contexts over a professional lifetime.

Bibliography

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Britt, H., Miles, D.A., Bridges-Webb, C., Neary, S., Charles, J. & Taylor, V. 1993. A comparison of country and metropolitan general practice. The Medical Journal of Australia 159, Supplment 1 November.

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Department of Health and Aged Care. General Practice in Australia: 2000 Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2000.

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Murtagh, JE. General Practice McGraw-Hill, Sydney, 1994

Starfield B. Health Med2002; 24:252-4

Strasser RP. Rural general practice in Victoria: The report from a study of the attitudes of Victorian rural general practitioners to country practice and training. Monash University Department of Community Medicine, Victoria,1992.

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Wise A, Hays R, Craig M, Adkins P, Mahoney M, Nichols A, Sheehan M, Siskind V. Vocational training and continuing education for the rural medical practitioner. Queensland Rural Practice Research Group, Queensland,1992.

Publication Date: 6 September 2005
Authorised By: RACGP