The Practice of Preventive Medicine between a Teaching Hospital and a Group Practice Center

Abstract

Prevention is more effective than therapy". Preventive medicine is one of the important responsibilities of family physician. According to the age and sex criteria of "Adult Essential Preventive Screening Test" set up by the Department of Fmamiy Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, this study compares the practice of OPD prevntive medicine in teaching hospital and primary health care unit known as "Group Practice Center". By chart audit, dates, and results of the latest performed preventive screening tests were reviewed and saved to an IBM compatible personal computer by using the "OPD preventive medicine information system" program designed by the author. Inquiry, monitoring, and statistics were performed with the same program, further analysis was done with SPSSPC+ computer statistics package. The average complete rates were only about a half, teaching hospital group, male and elderly in both groups were a little higher. In teaching hospital group, more abnormal physical findings were noted, and middle age women were the commonest users(41%). In group practice center group, higher cholesterol and lower diastolic pressure were characteristic, and male patients were 8 years older. The study suggests that preventive medicine tends to be neglected, computerized monitoring program may solve the problem.