In some jurisdictions there is a separation between general practice and hospital
inpatient care. If this applies to obstetrics, then obstetrics may be completely
excluded from general practice, or the general practitioner’s role may be limited
to antenatal and postnatal care.
The service profile of general practitioners in Europe was found to vary with
whether or not they performed a gatekeeping role in the health-care system as
well as remuneration methods “the concept of comprehensive and family care
is included in the usual definitions of general practice, but, in some countries,
separate provision is made for gynecology and pediatrics” (Boerma, Van Der
Zee, and Fleming, 1997).
In economically advanced countries, family physicians can usually take it for
granted that basic public health services like clean water, sanitation, and food
inspection are provided. In other countries this is not so, and family practice will be
correspondingly different. Even in developed countries, there are often communities
where standards of public health are poor enough to make an impact on the content
of practice. Because these are unusual, family physicians in developed countries are
not usually well trained in the environmental aspects of family practice.