back Wonca Europe 2007 abstract

502 --- Attempt to classify main descriptors of GP/FM job. Proposal for a metaclinical classification

Context:

ICPC use is growing in any domain of GP/FM. Widely accepted as clinical tool; it is also used in various ways in practice management such as immunization targeting, documentation indexing or clinical messaging. Its components, RFE/Process/Appreciation allow a quite interesting conceptual representation of GP/FM clinical activities. Nevertheless, family doctor work area and work load need specific descriptors in order to fulfil the following objectives

Objectives:

Global description of activity, skills and knowledge (except health problems, procedure and diseases)
Classification complementary to ICPC (expanded from Q codes Lamberts et all, circa 1987).
Descriptors needed for indexation.
Main axes of training for undergraduate and vocational

All those items aim to describe the content of GP/FM in its non clinical approach. They constitute meta-information on the way the clinics and the patient doctor relationships are driven. That’s why I have chosen to use the name metaclinical classification for describing this tool.

Methods:

The Q codes, developed by Lamberts at all circa 1987 for use in bibliographic retrieval in Amsterdam University (UVA) department of GP/FM form the first building blocks of the classification. The Q letter has been chosen because it is not used in ICPC. This first approach has been filled up with my personal experience along 30 years of practice, research and teaching. From this as an empirical document, one try to change, fill the gaps and modify the content of the classification using publication on GP/FM, pair experience and critics and application to real work. UMLS corresponding descriptors searching and indexation exercises on published document could be also a good way to verify the applicability of the classification. About Safety, one has chosen to distribute the concept over all the classification when adequate rather than a special category.

First proposal

8 domains have been designed:

Patient issues
Provider’s issues
Structure of practice
Patient’s categories
Hazards
Ethics
Training, teaching, editing
R & D tools

Those domains have been open in the simplest way, only to quote the concerned concept. A formal representation and numeration or coding principle has to be chosen