Medical manpower: criteria for surveillance.

A physician manpower surveillance project, undertaken in the Canadian province of Ontario, is presented as a feasible prototype, using five essential critera: 1. Personal data and population information must be linked. 2. Corresponding geographic jurisdictions must be small enough to permit the identification of manpower trends in catchment areas at the community level. 3. The type of practice must be distinguished into at least two categories: primary care physicians and second-line physicians. 4. Personal and educational data must be kept to a minimum. 5. Surveillance determinations must be made frequently, with prompt publication of data.