• Number of Persons who Consulted a Physician, 1997 and 2002

    One Pagers | Sep 15, 2005
    Ed Fryer, PhD; Martey Dodoo, PhD; Larry Green, MD; Robert Phillips, MD, MSPH; Ginger Ruddy, MD; Jessica McCann, MD

    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.

    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 tables2).

    Table 1. Number of Persons (in millions) Who Consulted Physicians
    in the Preceding 12 Months, 1997 and 2002

    Population Physician GP who sees adults and children
    Adults, 1997
    		 195
    		 80
    Adults, 2002
    		 206
    		 77
    Children, 1997
    		 71
    		 28
    Children, 2002
    		 73
    		 23
    Pregnant Adult Women, 1997
    		 2
    		 0.8
    Pregnant Adult Women, 2002 3 0.9
    GP = general physician.
    Source: Information from reference 2.

    Table 2. Percentage* of Total Persons Who Consulted Physicians
    in the Preceding 12 Months, 1997 and 2002

    Population GP who sees adults and children
    		 GP† OB/GYN Other subspecialists
    Adults, 1997
    		 41
    		 66 23 24
    Adults, 2002
    		 38
    		 67 23 26
    Children, 1997
    		 39
    		 78 1 12
    Children, 2002
    		 32
    		 80 1 13
    Pregnant Adult Women, 1997
    		 36
    		 57 87 15
    Pregnant Adult Women, 2002 35
    		 61 87 17
    GP = general physician.
    † =Family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, and general pediatricians.
    Source: 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

    1. 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.
    2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey. Analysis by the Robert Graham Center, 2004.
    3. 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.

    The information and opinions contained in research from the Graham Center do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the AAFP. 

    Published in American Family Physician, Sep 15, 2005. Am Fam Physician. 2005;72(6):1007. This series is coordinated by Sumi Sexton, MD, AFP Associate Medical Editor.

    The information and opinions contained in research from the Graham Center do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the AAFP.
    Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians