Family physicians' involvement in two hospitals. Two different models of inpatient care.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the roles of family physicians in two hospitals with different models of inpatient care.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional descriptive study of a random sample of 11528 patients admitted to two hospitals between 1985 and 1988.


SETTING
Two acute-care community hospitals in suburban Montreal, Que.


SUBJECTS
Family physicians providing inpatient care at the two hospitals.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
How often family physicians were attending physicians (attending responsibility); what percentage of patients were visited by at least one family physician (case load); and what percentage of bedside visits were made by family physicians (workload).


RESULTS
In one hospital, where family physicians were actively promoted as primary care providers, they were frequently attending physicians, had heavier case loads, and made more patient visits. Also, they collaborated more often with specialists. In the other hospital, family physicians tended to care for specific populations of patients.


CONCLUSION
When hospitals promote different organizational models of medical care, family physicians' roles are affected.