A healthy disposition? The use and limitations of the characteristics approach to general practice research
Authors: Baines, D.L.
Journal: British Journal of General Practice
Volume: 51
Issue: 470
Pages: 749-752
ISSN: 0960-1643
Abstract:A range of easily identifiable characteristics is often used by researchers and general practitioners to categorise primary care practices. In the United Kingdom, for example, practices can be defined as dispensing, single-handed or training. The availability of routinely collected data has led to a growing research literature that links practice characteristics to their workload, performance and costs. This paper examines the use and limitations of this 'characteristics approach' and argues that this type of research is often undertaken because it is easy to perform rather than because it is the most appropriate way to study primary care. Using this approach may lead to failure to do the following: to account for the environmental factors that determine the effects particular characteristics manifest; to identify the true relationships between the observed characteristics; to control for changes in the effects of characteristics over time; to differentiate between the behaviour of individual members of a group with the same characteristic and that of the group as a whole; to assign the correct causality to relationships between practice characteristics, workloads, performance, and costs. The characteristics approach should be used with great caution by general practice researchers.
Source: Scopus
A healthy disposition? The use and limitations of the characteristics approach to general practice research.
Authors: Baines, D.L.
Journal: Br J Gen Pract
Volume: 51
Issue: 470
Pages: 749-752
ISSN: 0960-1643
Abstract:A range of easily identifiable characteristics is often used by researchers and general practitioners to categorise primary care practices. In the United Kingdom, for example, practices can be defined as dispensing, single-handed or training. The availability of routinely collected data has led to a growing research literature that links practice characteristics to their workload, performance and costs. This paper examines the use and limitations of this 'characteristics approach' and argues that this type of research is often undertaken because it is easy to perform rather than because it is the most appropriate way to study primary care. Using this approach may lead to failure to do the following: to account for the environmental factors that determine the effects particular characteristics manifest; to identify the true relationships between the observed characteristics; to control for changes in the effects of characteristics over time; to differentiate between the behaviour of individual members of a group with the same characteristic and that of the group as a whole; to assign the correct causality to relationships between practice characteristics, workloads, performance, and costs. The characteristics approach should be used with great caution by general practice researchers.
Source: PubMed
A healthy disposition? The use and limitations of the characteristics approach to general practice research
Authors: Baines, D.L.
Journal: BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
Volume: 51
Issue: 470
Pages: 749-752
ISSN: 0960-1643
Source: Web of Science (Lite)
A healthy disposition? The use and limitations of the characteristics approach to general practice research.
Authors: Baines, D.L.
Journal: The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
Volume: 51
Issue: 470
Pages: 749-752
eISSN: 1478-5242
ISSN: 0960-1643
Abstract:A range of easily identifiable characteristics is often used by researchers and general practitioners to categorise primary care practices. In the United Kingdom, for example, practices can be defined as dispensing, single-handed or training. The availability of routinely collected data has led to a growing research literature that links practice characteristics to their workload, performance and costs. This paper examines the use and limitations of this 'characteristics approach' and argues that this type of research is often undertaken because it is easy to perform rather than because it is the most appropriate way to study primary care. Using this approach may lead to failure to do the following: to account for the environmental factors that determine the effects particular characteristics manifest; to identify the true relationships between the observed characteristics; to control for changes in the effects of characteristics over time; to differentiate between the behaviour of individual members of a group with the same characteristic and that of the group as a whole; to assign the correct causality to relationships between practice characteristics, workloads, performance, and costs. The characteristics approach should be used with great caution by general practice researchers.
Source: Europe PubMed Central