Primary-care research to inform policy and implementation

On a daily basis general practitioners (GPs) deal with a wide range of disordersfrom benign to life threateningand mixed populations of patients, in whom even minor illness might pose severe health threat. The ability to handle uncertainty is, therefore, an essential part of day-to-day general practice. Much of what has been called the essence of general practice can be seen as the development of effective coping strategies, achieved through the application of knowledge built up over time about the patient, understanding of risks, case reviews, continuity, leadership, and advocacy. These empirically acquired characteristics, however, have only occasionally been brought to the scientific test