Sources of primary health care for women in an urban centre.

Family or general practitioners and obstetrician-gynecologists have the opportunity to provide primary health care to women. Who actually gives this care in a large urban setting was the focus of this study. In the Montreal area 297 women were asked by telephone whether they had an obstetrician-gynecologist and whether they would see another type of doctor for a cold that was not getting better. Overall, 88% of all the women indicated that they would go to a family or general practitioner for such a problem, and of the women who reported receiving some care from an obstetrician-gynecologist 78% also received care from another physician. Of the respondents seeking health care from only one type of doctor, women with English as the mother tongue were significantly more likely to attend an obstetrician-gynecologist, whereas French-speaking women much more often were cared for by family or general practitioners.