General practice in Croatia, Yugoslavia

Abstract

The position and importance of general practice in the Yugoslavian Health Service is being reviewed in a study of the working conditions, the composition and relationship of the primary health care team, the workload, and the opinions of the patients in Croatia, Yugoslavia.

We found that many practices had barely half the recommended equipment, that the average workload was 40 patients a day, and that many general practitioners expected others to improve their organisation rather than undertaking it themselves.

Those general-practitioner teams which we rated highly were also the most popular with patients. The job satisfaction of nurses varied and was highest when the doctors in the team did not have a high need for status for themselves.

We consider general practice to be of crucial importance in the total system of health care in our country and believe that general practitioners should have the same status as specialists.