Factors affecting work load in general practice. II.

The second part of a survey studying factors that affect a general practitioner's work load considers the effects of age, sex, social class and time on list. Women, the old, and the young created the most work for the doctor and his paramedical team. Patients in the lower social classes also generated more work, even though a larger proportion of the higher social classes used the resources of the general practice-and more fully. Newly-registered patients generated slightly more work than the more permanent residents. Not only the size of a doctor's list, therefore, but also the demographic features of the community should be taken into account in determining the size and structure of the general-practice team needed for an area.