Primary care: is there enough time for prevention?

Am J Public Health. 2003 Apr;93(4):635-41. doi: 10.2105/ajph.93.4.635.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to determine the amount of time required for a primary care physician to provide recommended preventive services to an average patient panel.

Methods: We used published and estimated times per service to determine the physician time required to provide all services recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), at the recommended frequency, to a patient panel of 2500 with an age and sex distribution similar to that of the US population.

Results: To fully satisfy the USPSTF recommendations, 1773 hours of a physician's annual time, or 7.4 hours per working day, is needed for the provision of preventive services.

Conclusions: Time constraints limit the ability of physicians to comply with preventive services recommendations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Appointments and Schedules*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Counseling / supply & distribution
  • Female
  • Health Services Research
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Statistical
  • Preventive Health Services / classification
  • Preventive Health Services / supply & distribution*
  • Primary Health Care / standards
  • Primary Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Primary Prevention
  • Time and Motion Studies*
  • United States