The telephone in family practice.

In a time-and-motion study in family practice it was found that 35,8% of all patient contact was per telephone. The study further revealed that 12,3% of total practice time was spent on the telephone, stressing its importance as a useful tool in family practice. The study supports others which suggest that 'telephone medicine' is worthy of careful examination in terms of cost-effectiveness. The implications for the doctor-patient relationship are also considered.