ArticleBMC family practice2018
Procedures performed by general practitioners and general internal medicine physicians - a comparison based on routine data from Northern Germany.
Article in BMC family practice, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- International variation in child healthcare practices and implications for childhood cancer diagnosis: a scoping review and cross-country clinician survey.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Physicians' attitudes and acceptance towards artificial intelligence in medical care: a qualitative study in Germany.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Identifying desired qualifications, tasks, and organizational characteristics of practice managers-a cross-sectional survey among group practice physicians in Germany.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Which procedures are performed by general internists practicing primary care in Germany? - a cross-sectional study.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- Differences Between General Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Physicians' Initiation of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.Journal of primary care & community healthObservational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn response to a rising shortage of general practitioners (GPs), physicians in general internal medicine (GIM) have become part of the German primary care physician workforce. Previous studies have shown substantial differences in practice patterns between both specialties. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the application of procedures by German GPs and GIM physicians based on routine data.
methodsThe Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in the federal state Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Germany) provided invoicing data of the first quarters of 2013 and 2015. Differences between GPs and GIM physicians in the implementation rate of 46 selected primary care procedures were examined by means of the Pearson χ
resultsIn the first quarter of 2013/2015 respectively, 1228/1227 GPs and 447/484 GIM physicians provided services in Schleswig-Holstein. Significant differences were found for 20 of the 46 procedures. GPs had higher application rates of procedures concerning health screening (e.g. adolescent health examination, well-child visits) and minor surgery. GIM physicians more often applied technology-oriented procedures, such as ultrasound scans, electrocardiograms (ECG), and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements. The treatment patterns of both specialities did not vary much during the study period. Cardiac stress testing was the only significantly increased GP procedure in that time.
conclusionsOur results suggest substantial differences in the application of procedures between GPs and GIM physicians with potential consequences for the overall primary healthcare provision. The findings could foster a discussion about training needs for procedures in primary care to ensure its comprehensiveness. The results reflect scope for changes in vocational training in the future for an effective and efficient re-allocation of primary healthcare.
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Registered trials
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