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Table 3 Proportions of GPs (n=1,308) that would like to spend more versus less time on common activities in general practice 1

From: What professional activities do general practitioners find most meaningful? Cross sectional survey of Norwegian general practitioners

Activity

Would like to spend more time

Would like to spend less time

Follow up of chronic somatic diseases

57%

2%

(e.g. COPD, heart disease, diabetes)

Recent everyday symptoms and complaints

46%

3%

(e.g. infections, lumbago, tendinitis, head ache, dyspnea, chest pain, abdominal pain, etc.)

Follow up of chronic psychiatric diseases

29%

6%

(e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, anxiety/depression)

Terminal care

16%

1%

Teaching and supervision of students and residents

17%

2%

Risk conditions

22%

8%

(elevated blood pressure or cholesterol, low bone mass density)

Research

14%

5%

Meetings regarding individual patients

12%

6%

Nursing home medicine

10%

6%

Quality assurance

13%

13%

(e.g. development and maintenance of guidelines/procedures)

Emergency health care

12%

14%

(e.g. trauma/accidents, acute, serious somatic and psychiatric diseases)

School health service

2%

10%

Preventive health clinics

2%

10%

Meetings with local health authorities

6%

17%

Psychosocial problems

7%

19%

(e.g. marital crises, conflicts at work)

Follow up of persons certified unfit for work

8%

27%

Drug abuse/addiction medicine

6%

26%

Medically unexplained symptoms

5%

28%

(e.g. chronic fatigue, chronic pain syndroms)

Practice administration/management

7%

30%

(e.g. human resource management, bookkeeping, etc.)

Health certifications

0%

50%

  1. 1 Among the activities listed, the GPs chose 3 activities they would like to spend less time on and 3 activities they would like to spend more time on.