[Better compliance--the most important weapon of the general practitioner against stochastic medicine].

The practice of general practitioners varies widely when handling different conditions, even when strict guidelines are available. This variation is probably no less in relation to persons without any specific disease, when both doctor and patient stress the somatic symptoms. For this group the final result is determined by factors beyond the doctor's control. Medicine may appear to be stochastic, which could mask the use of treatments of no proven value. In any medical situation, good quality in general practice must be associated with the treatment. A better understanding of the patient's situation is the means of raising quality in general practice.