Preventive Advice-Giving: Self-Assessment of General Practitioners in Brandenburg

Introduction: Improving individual health behaviour is a promising approach especially in cardiovascular prevention. In general practice, preventive advice-giving is hitherto put into practice insufficiently. The study explores which role general practitioners are willing and able to play in behaviour-oriented prevention. Methods: 50% of general practitioners in Brandenburg (n=748) were randomly selected for the study. A standardised questionnaire was mailed to them in which their attitudes towards preventive advice-giving were measured using Likert scaling. Participation was anonymous. Results: 37% of the physicians answered the questionnaire. Almost all of them see it as their responsibility to inform patients about possible reduction of lifestyle-dependent health risks and to motivate them accordingly. Self-assessment concerning advisory skills is predominantly positive (best for physical activity, worst for smoking cessation and sexual risk behaviour advice). Time resources for behaviour-oriented prevention are sparse. For this reason, the delegation of many advisory tasks to physician assistants is regarded positively. Conclusion: Most physicians see themselves as willing and able to perform behaviour-oriented prevention. Nevertheless, realising this task seems to be difficult, e.g., concerning the frame conditions of general practice. The role of general practitioners in prevention and health promotion should be defined more accurately.