Strategy for defining the clinical content of family medicine

Abstract

The clinical content of family medicine is yet to be defined and arranged into a structured system of knowledge. To provide this systematic approach, it is suggested that a set of problem "profiles" could be identified as basic to family medicine, and binary decision and problem-solving chains identified for each. In addition, each problem profile might be expected to provide a consistent "masquerading" format for specific unusual problems. Certain "red flags" would be expected to be relevant to specific uncommon problems of medicine. A method of identifying these "masquerades" and "red flags" is proposed.