Number of persons who consulted a physician, 1997 and 2002

Most people in the United States consult a general physician each year, and some see other subspecialists. However, the proportion of people consulting a general physician who sees adults and children appears to be declining.

Fryer GE, Dodoo MS, Green LA, Phillips RL, Ruddy GR, and McCann JL

Millions of people consult physicians in the United States each year. According to data from the 1997 and 2002 National Health Interview Surveys, in most specialties the number and proportion of adults, children, and pregnant adult women consulting physicians increased over the five-year period¹; the number and proportion of persons consulting general physicians who see adults and children are notable exceptions (see accompanying table²).

**Persons Who Consulted Physicians in the Preceding 12 Months, 1997 and 2002**
	Number of persons (millions) who consulted:		Percentage* of total who consulted:
	Physician	General physician who sees adults and children	General physician who sees adults and children	General physicians †	OB/GYN	Other subspecialists
Adults
1997	195	80	41	66	23	24
2002	206	77	38	67	23	26
Children
1997	71	28	39	78	1	12
2002	73	23	32	80	1	13
Pregnant Adult Women
1997	2	0.8	36	57	87	15
2002	3	0.9	35	61	87	17
*-Percentages do not total 100 because persons may have seen more than one type of physician during the preceding 12 months. †-Family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, and general pediatricians. Information from reference 2.

The proportion of adults who consult with general physicians who see adults and children declined by 3 percent, and the proportion of children declined even further. To the extent that general physicians who see adults and children mostly are family physicians, this finding is consistent with data from other national surveys that reveal a decline in visits to family physicians.³

references

Green LA, Dodoo MS, Ruddy G, Fryer GE, Phillips RL, McCann JL, et al. The physician workforce of the United States: a family medicine perspective. Washington, D.C.: Robert Graham Center, 2004.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey. Analysis by the Robert Graham Center, 2004.
Dodoo MS, Fryer GE, Green LA, Phillips RL, Ruddy GR, McCann JL, et al. Graham Center One-Pager #35. Patterns of visits to physicians' offices in the United States, 1980 to 2003. Washington, D.C.: Robert Graham Center, September 2005.

Fryer GE, Dodoo MS, Green LA, Phillips RL, Ruddy GR, and McCann JL. Number of persons who consulted a physician, 1997 and 2002. Am Fam Physician. 2005 Sep 15;72(6):1007.

September 2005