The content of family practice: a family medicine resident's 2 1/2-year experience with the E-book.

The purpose of this paper is to present the content of office family practice problems seen over a 2 1/2-year residency period and to afford comparison with the well-known Virginia Study. It illustrates the usefulness of the diagnostic E-Book, with which all the data were collected and preserved. Over a 2 1/2-year period, the author cared for 592 patients in the family practice office. The ratio of one physician to 592 patients compares to the Virginia Study's one physician to approximately 745 patients. A total of 1,640 problems were coded in the E-Book. In this study 55 problems/physician/month were seen, whereas in the Virginia Study approximately 177 problems/physician/month were noted. Respiratory illnesses were the most common diagnostic category in both studies. Among specific problems, obesity ranked first at Hershey, with afebrile colds second, hypertension and Beta streptococcal pharyngitis third, and smoking fourth. Obesity and smoking were ranked considerably lower in the Virginia Study, whereas "health maintenance examinations" were ranked number one. Finally, for age-sex practice profiles, the present data revealed two peak age groups for both sexes, whereas the Virginia work noted only one peak age range.