Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33910918›Full record

ArticleBJGP open2021

Characterising generalism in clinical practice: a systematic mixed studies review protocol.

Martina Kelly, Sarah Cheung, Mariam Keshavjee, Anna Stevenson, Josephine Elliott, Surinder Singh, Madeleine Foster, Sophie Park

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BJGP open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Generalism as a cross-disciplinary practice in medicine: Mixed-studies systematic review.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. GP workforce sustainability to maximise effective and equitable patient care: a realist review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Martina KellyDepartment of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada makelly@ucalgary.ca.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8763-7092
Sarah CheungDepartment of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Mariam KeshavjeeDepartment of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Anna StevensonSchool of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
Josephine ElliottResearch Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.
Surinder SinghResearch Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.
Madeleine FosterResearch Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.
Sophie ParkResearch Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGeneralist physician care is associated with improved patient outcomes. Despite initiatives to promote generalism in educational settings, recruitment to generalist disciplines remains less than required to serve societal needs. Increasingly this impacts not just general practice but also generalist specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, and paediatrics. One potential factor for this deficit is a lack of explicit attention to generalism as a praxis, including clarifying key aspects of generalist expertise.

aimTo examine empirical clinical literature on generalism, and characterise how generalism is described and delivered by physicians in primary and secondary care. DESIGN &

settingA systematic mixed studies review (SMSR) including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods studies, and systematic reviews of physician generalist practice.

methodMEDLINE, Psycinfo, SocINDEX, Embase, Ovid HealthSTAR, Scopus, and Web of Science will be searched for English language studies from 1999 to present, using a structured search. Given study heterogeneity, quality appraisal will not be performed. Two reviewers will perform study selection for each study. Data extraction will focus on how generalism is defined and characterised, including the clinical care provided by generalists and patient experiences of generalist care. Quantitative and qualitative data will be summarised in tabular and narrative form. Convergent synthesis design will then be used to synthesise quantitative and qualitative data.

conclusionFindings will characterise generalism and generalist practice from a grassroots clinical perspective. By identifying similarities and differences across generalist disciplines, this work will inform more focused educational initiatives on generalism at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including collaborations between generalist disciplines.

Indexed as

generalismgeneralistsgeneral practicegeneral practitionersphysiciansphysicians, familyprimary health caresecondary care

Identifiers

PMID33910918
PMCPMC8450881

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.