GPs' attitudes to personal continuity: findings from everyday practice differ from postal surveys.

We conducted a study in which we measured GPs' attitudes towards personal continuity directly after consultations, and identified which factors predicted its perceived importance. Moreover, we related these data to attitudes as measured by a postal survey. GPs varied considerably in their attitudes towards personal continuity. Continuity was valued for serious and psychosocial issues and also for routine checks for a chronic illness. There was no relation whatsoever between the importance that individual GPs attached to continuity after consultations, and their scores on the postal survey.