General practitioners provide care to patients from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds (SEP) and have the professional autonomy to tailor care to individual needs. Existing research shows that frontline professionals, including GPs, make distinctions between patients in their work based on assumptions about SEP. This distinction can contribute to person-centered care, but is potentially problematic. What one person perceives as personalised care may be interpreted by another as discrimination. We still know too little about these assumptions in GPs’ daily practice and the sources of information they use.   

This project is an interdisciplinary pilot study which also involves developing a research proposal designed to provide insight into the professional practices of general practitioners in their daily work. We combine on-site observations with qualitative interviews and a focus group, enabling the research to reveal not only behaviours but also the underlying reasoning and use of knowledge.  

Research goal

Publication of an article in a scientific journal, along with plans for follow-up research and funding and the development of practical and educational tools for GPs and trainee GPs, focusing on reflective practice in healthcare. 

Interdisciplinary approach

As part of a small-scale, multi-method pilot study, six GPs in neighbourhoods in The Hague and the surrounding area are being observed over the course of a working day. This research is supplemented by an interview and a focus group with (participating) GPs, in which we tested our findings from the initial analyses against their experiences. The project brings together expertise from public health, general practice and medical anthropology. 

• kiem-beurs

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