HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) TRACK Comments: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when TRACK Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hutchinson, A. Articles by Becker, L. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hutchinson, A. Articles by Becker, L. A.

How the Philosophies, Styles, and Methods of Family Medicine Affect the Research Agenda

¹ Section of Public Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England, UK
² Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Allen Hutchinson, FRCGP, FFPHM, Section of Public Health, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent St, Sheffield, S1 4DA, England, UK, allen.hutchinson{at}sheffield.ac.uk

Family physicians provide person-centered, continuous, comprehensive care that is accessible and available at the time of need. Although this core philosophy is shared around the world, its translation into actual practice can vary greatly with time and from place to place as family physicians adapt to local constraints and conditions. Factors driving these local variations include entrenched habits and patterns of care, funding systems, patient expectations, public policy, and the availability and quality of other critical health system components.

This diversity provides both an opportunity and a challenge for family medicine research. The potential for fruitful comparisons and contrasts arising from natural experiments may require investigators to use multiple research methods capable of evaluating complex interventions and comparisons.

Family medicine has the capacity to be an excellent laboratory in which research in representative populations can offer the pragmatic answers needed by practicing physicians. The nature of the research questions and interventions require the involvement of clinicians in the formulation of research questions and evaluation of the applicability of research results. The variations in implementation of the family medicine philosophy can be a potential asset because of the research opportunities they provide.

Key Words: Family medicine • physicians, family • research • physicians’ practice patterns • research priorities • research methods

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. W. Rosser and C. van Weel Research in Family/General Practice is Essential for Improving Health Globally Ann. Fam. Med, May 1, 2004; 2(suppl_2): S2 - S4. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. van Weel and W. W. Rosser Improving Health Care Globally: A Critical Review of the Necessity of Family Medicine Research and Recommendations to Build Research Capacity Ann. Fam. Med, May 1, 2004; 2(suppl_2): S5 - S16. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]