Organization and change in general practice
Abstract for a symposium at Nordic Congress for General Practice
Thursday 14 May at 15.30-17.00


General practice is under increasing pressure to assume new tasks, adopt new technologies and engage in new organizational structures. However, in a field of multiple actors and concerns such visions are rarely straightforward to realize. This symposium explores the significance of various organizational, cultural and regulative features of general practice in relation to proposals for change in the sector.

Presentations:
Thorkil Thorsen, Marius Kousgaard. Introducing new technologies for quality improvement in general practice – a case study. This presentation explores an attempt to standardize, monitor, and improve the quality of diabetes care in general practice. The presentation focus on how the GPs’ have perceived and received the new model.

Rikke Dalsted, Ann Dorrit Guassora. Providing coherent care: Case-managers and other modes of coordination. A case-manager is often understood as a person coordinating health care services. It has been suggested that GPs should carry out this function for several types of diseases. The question addressed is whether the challenge of ensuring coherent cancer treatment can be handled by a case manager or if other modes should also be considered.

Lars Borgquist. A new model for General Practice in Sweden- consequences for quality of care and economics. Many Swedish county councils will introduce new models for organizing primary care. One purpose is to give more freedom to the patients to choose care-givers. Another is to create a more competitive health care system. These reforms will be evaluated in a research project to be presented.

Chairman: John Sahl Andersen
MESH-terms: Delivery of Health Care, Health Care Reform, Family Practice.