Morbidity registration and the fourth general practice morbidity survey in England and Wales.

The fourth morbidity survey in England and Wales is based on a population of 473,000 persons registered in 60 practices and cared for by 241 general practitioners. This presentation traces the evolution of morbidity surveys in England and Wales. That evolution has taken place against a background of advancing computer technology and the drift towards a paperless record. It is motivated by an increasing recognition of the need for data from primary health care an a realisation that a structured record is capable of servicing information needs without intermediary data sheets and coding procedures. The primary objectives of the study include assessment of disease prevalence by region, age-sex and social group; and to study trends over time. Morbidity and social data are collected in the practices and all relevant information stored on practice computers. At the end of the recording year, the computerised record for each patient is copied on to disks in an anonymized but uniquely identified form and transferred to the national Office of Population Censuses & Surveys for analysis. During the year, weekly extracts are taken of new episodes of illness in age and sex groupings which provide the basis of the Weekly Returns Service of the Royal College of General Practitioners.