Biomaterial Database

Continuity of care in family practice. Part 2: implications of continuity. 1975

I R McWhinney

Continuity of care in family practice cannot be adequately described merely in terms of duration. It is not delineated by the nature of a patient's illness, but involves the family physician's ongoing commitment to the patient and his family as persons. An implicit contract exists between the family physician and the patient. This kind of continuity of care provides several important elements related to patient care, such as the feasibility of long-term observations allowing effective diagnosis with less need for extensive one-time workups, the potential for psychotherapy and counseling through a continuing personal relationship, and the opportunity to perceive illness in the context of the whole person and his environment. Continuity of responsibility by the family physician is achievable despite mobility of some patients and is more a matter of the physician's attitude and style of practice than duration of the doctor-patient relationship.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010348	Patient Care Team	Care of patients by a multidisciplinary team usually organized under the leadership of a physician; each member of the team has specific responsibilities and the whole team contributes to the care of the patient.	Health Care Team,Interdisciplinary Health Team,Medical Care Team,Multidisciplinary Care Team,Multidisciplinary Health Team,Healthcare Team,Care Team, Health,Care Team, Medical,Care Team, Multidisciplinary,Care Team, Patient,Care Teams, Health,Care Teams, Patient,Health Care Teams,Health Team, Interdisciplinary,Health Team, Multidisciplinary,Healthcare Teams,Interdisciplinary Health Teams,Medical Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Health Teams,Patient Care Teams,Team, Health Care,Team, Healthcare,Team, Interdisciplinary Health,Team, Medical Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Health,Team, Patient Care,Teams, Interdisciplinary Health
D010817	Physician-Patient Relations	The interactions between physician and patient.	Doctor-Patient Relations,Doctor Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relationship,Doctor Patient Relation,Doctor-Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relationships,Physician-Patient Relation,Relation, Doctor Patient,Relation, Doctor-Patient,Relation, Physician Patient,Relation, Physician-Patient,Relations, Doctor Patient,Relations, Doctor-Patient,Relations, Physician Patient,Relations, Physician-Patient,Relationship, Physician Patient,Relationships, Physician Patient
D003191	Comprehensive Health Care	Providing for the full range of personal health services for diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and rehabilitation of patients.	Comprehensive Healthcare,Health Care, Comprehensive,Healthcare, Comprehensive
D003266	Continuity of Patient Care	Health care provided on a continuing basis from the initial contact, following the patient through all phases of medical care.	Continuum of Care,Continuity of Care,Care Continuity,Care Continuity, Patient,Care Continuum,Patient Care Continuity
D005194	Family Practice	A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.	Family Practices,Practice, Family,Practices, Family
D005843	Geography	The science dealing with the earth and its life, especially the description of land, sea, and air and the distribution of plant and animal life, including humanity and human industries with reference to the mutual relations of these elements. (From Webster, 3d ed)	Factor, Geographic,Factors, Geographic,Geographic Factor,Geographic Factors,Geography, Human,Human Geography
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor