[A 1-year study of a private pediatrician practicing in a Swiss urban center].

This paper represents a retrospective statistical study of the private activity of a pediatrician practicing in a Swiss urban center. The study ecompases one year (1974). 1325 infants and children were the object of 4665 contacts with the physician, an average of 3.5 contacts per child per year. These contacts were analyzed with regard to the reason why the contact was sought, to the kind of problem observed, to the precise diagnosis, including accessory diagnoses. These contacts wre also analyzed from the point of view of patient's age, nationality, and socio-economic group of the parents. The incidence of affective and behavioral problems, of referals to a consultant or to the hospital, and of requests for laboratory workup etc. was also studied. The suggestion is made that other similar, if possible prospective studies should be undertaken by pediatricians practicing in somewhat different conditions and in other areas of Switzerland. Such studies could be used to influence the teaching of pediatrics in Switzerland.