Primary Care, Generalism, Public Good: Déjà vu? Again!
Authors: Eric B. Larson, Kenneth B. Roberts, Kevin Grumbach
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Editorials19 April 2005Primary Care, Generalism, Public Good: Déjà vu? Again!Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, Kenneth B. Roberts, MD, and Kevin Grumbach, MDEric B. Larson, MD, MPHFrom Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27401; and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this author, Kenneth B. Roberts, MDFrom Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27401; and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this author, and Kevin Grumbach, MDFrom Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27401; and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-8-200504190-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Developing the supplement on the future of generalism in medicine in this issue caused us to have a collective sense of déjà vu (1-5). Many of the ideas and arguments presented in this supplement echo the calls for revitalization in recent “special reports” by groups in family medicine (6), pediatrics (7, 8), and internal medicine (9, 10) and harken back to the 1970s (11-13). During the reviewing and editing process, we felt like we have been through all this before. And, in fact, we have. Admittedly, there are important differences between the mid-1970s, when the primary care movement emerged (11), ...References1. Larson EB, Grumbach K, Roberts KB. The future of generalism in medicine. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:689-90. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Ferrer RL, Hambidge S, Maly R. The essential role of generalists in health care systems. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:691-9. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Stille CJ, Jerant A, Bell D, Meltzer D, Elmore JG. Coordinating care across diseases, settings, and clinicians: a key role for the generalist in practice. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:700-8. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Weiner SJ, Barnet B, Cheng TL, Daaleman TP. Processes for effective communication in primary care. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:709-14. LinkGoogle Scholar5. Schwartz MD, Basco WT, Grey MR, Elmore JG, Rubenstein A. Rekindling student interest in generalist careers. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:715-24. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Martin JC, Avant RF, Bowman MA, Bucholtz JR, Dickinson JR, Evans KL, et al. The Future of Family Medicine: a collaborative project of the family medicine community. Ann Fam Med. 2004;2 Suppl 1 S3-32. [PMID: 15080220] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Halfon N, Olson LM. Introduction: results from a new national survey of children's health. Pediatrics. 2004;113:1895-8. [PMID: 15173459] MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Inkelas M, Schuster MA, Olson LM, Park CH, Halfon N. Continuity of primary care clinician in early childhood. Pediatrics. 2004;113:1917-25. [PMID: 15173462] MedlineGoogle Scholar9. Larson EB, Fihn SD, Kirk LM, Levinson W, Loge RV, Reynolds E, et al. 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The Americanization of family medicine: contradictions, challenges, and change, 1969-2000. Fam Med. 2001;33:232-43. [PMID: 11322514] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27401; and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; e-mail, larson.[email protected]org.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Larson: Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Studies, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101-1448.Dr. Roberts: Pediatric Teaching Program, Moses H. Cone Health System, 1200 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401.Dr. Grumbach: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Family and Community Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 83, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Future of Generalism in Medicine Eric B. Larson , Kevin Grumbach , and Kenneth B. Roberts The Essential Role of Generalists in Health Care Systems Robert L. Ferrer , Simon J. Hambidge , and Rose C. Maly Coordinating Care across Diseases, Settings, and Clinicians: A Key Role for the Generalist in Practice Christopher J. Stille , Anthony Jerant , Douglas Bell , David Meltzer , and Joann G. Elmore Processes for Effective Communication in Primary Care Saul J. Weiner , Beth Barnet , Tina L. Cheng , and Timothy P. Daaleman Rekindling Student Interest in Generalist Careers Mark D. Schwartz , William T. Basco Jr , Michael R. Grey , Joann G. Elmore , and Arthur Rubenstein The Future of Generalism in Medicine Glenn S. Ross The Future of Generalism in Medicine C. Anderson Hedberg Metrics Cited byDigital health needs for implementing high-quality primary care: recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineTraveling for Medical Care in a Global WorldPhysicians Should Be Civic Professionals, Not Just Knowledge WorkersAccess to and utilization of healthcare: the provider’s roleRedesigning Payment of Internal Medicine: A Financial ChallengeThe Future of Generalism in MedicineGlenn S. Ross, MD 19 April 2005Volume 142, Issue 8Page: 671-674KeywordsForecastingHealth careHospital medicineMedical servicesMotivationPopulation statisticsPrevention, policy, and public healthPrimary carePublic policy ePublished: 19 April 2005 Issue Published: 19 April 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...