TY - JOUR T1 - Overgrazing in general practice: the new <em>Tragedy of the Commons</em> JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 81 LP - 81 DO - 10.3399/bjgp15X683581 VL - 65 IS - 631 AU - Khalil Hassanally Y1 - 2015/02/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/65/631/81.abstract N2 - Students of game theory soon become familiar with Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons. Based upon William Lloyd’s 1833 lecture on population growth,1 it explores how to stop the overuse of a public good. In 19th-century England the common was an area of land where villagers were able to graze their livestock. Each additional ruminant put out to graze decreased the availability of fodder for the rest of the population; if too many animals were put out the area became worthless, overgrazed, and with no one reaping any benefit.Lessons learned in game theory become relevant again when moving from secondary to primary care. One quickly becomes aware of the direct financial impact of patients’ prescribing and investigation costs. While I’m no advocate for a system where only the rich can afford health care, or a system where patients are … ER -