BMJ 1994;309:875 (1 October)

Letters

GPs' awareness of surgical techniques

EDITOR, - We agree with Grant Ingrams that communication and the willingness to share and discuss ideas are essential in the internal market.1 Our study showed that general practitioners are unaware of the advantages to patients of modern compared with outdated methods of cataract surgery. This procedure was simply used as a model, being in the top 10 of all surgical procedures. We made no judgement but reported the situation as it is.

All surgeons should be well informed about modern procedures, but, inevitably, some trial behind rather than keep up with the pack. Ingrams's assumption, however, that the solutions to most of the purchasing problems life "with consultants and their professional bodies" is naive. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists produces guidelines on clinical practice, and one on cataract is imminent.

As far as we are aware, the process of purchasing contracts is primarily administrative and rarely involves clinicians. Even . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

"Place of publication" bias?
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