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 – 8}