Medex: a time-motion study.

Six Medex working with family practitioners were followed by an observer for a total of 18 days to gain an objective profile of how Medex spent their workday. Medex on the average spent 30% of their time with office patients and saw 38% of all office patients. Medex saw between 25% and 100% of all pediatric office patients and spent on the average 37% of their office patient time with pediatric patients. On the average, Medex saw 8 pediatric and 11 adult office patients per day. Well-child examinations, the largest pediatric diagnostic category, accounted for 30% of Medex pediatric office patient time. Minor surgery accounted for the second largest portion of pediatric office patient time (21%) while respiratory illness ranked third (11%). In view of the increasing role family practitioners and their assistants will undoubtedly play in the provision of child health care, pediatricians are urged to work closely with family physicians in developing and implementing health care services for children.