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The Lost Pillar: Does Continuity of Care Still Matter?
David Loxterkamp
Background David Loxterkamp, MD looks back at his career as a practicing physician in rural Maine. He reflects on how family medicine’s emphasis on continuity of care has shaped his sense of identity and purpose, and is dismayed by the erosion of this value in primary care.
What This Study Found Despite research that establishes the benefits of relational continuity in the lives of patients and their physicians, the author sees a marked shift in family medicine practices toward the “transactional,” episodic care of mainstream medicine.
Implications
- The loss of continuity makes it increasingly difficult to win the patient's trust, enter deeply into their day-to-day lives, and establish the deep bonds that make any long-term relationship mutually meaningful.