Research by private family physicians - What are the strengths and how we might overcome the weaknesses?

Abstract

There are major difficulties facing academic family medicine in Hong Kong. Academic positions are limited and resources for research are restrained. However, we believe there is much that family physicians in private practice can contribute. Private family physicians can research and publish by themselves, or in collaboration with local and international researchers. The major strengths are that private family physicians are exposed to a wide spectrum of diseases, different from hospital specialists. They are exposed to diseases at their early stages and can make observations from long continuous care. They might have difficulties such as the lack of motivation and initiatives, the lack of well defined research topics, lack of skills and experience, of funds, of access to research laboratories and other support, problems with ethics approval, and lack of computerised medical records which can all be overcome by various strategies.