Continuity of pediatrician: New support for an old shibboleth**

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An experimental design permitted comparison of ambulatory pediatric care in a traditional comprehensive clinic with similar care in an experimental clinic emphasizing continuity of physician. The results of a survey of all staff and a sample of patients' mothers indicated that provision of pediatrician continuity yields higher staff and client satisfaction, better patient-practitioner relationships, and greater efficiency. It is suggested that such an arrangement be made a requirement in pediatric clinic programs. Implications of the findings for further research are discussed.

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      Whether greater value should be given to maintaining continuity of care or to preserving time in clinic warrants additional study. Multiple observers have argued that the longitudinal relationship between the physician and the patient and family is an essential component of pediatric practice and pediatric education.21–24 This view has strong support in the pediatric literature8–13 and is reflected in current ACGME program requirements for pediatric residency programs.14

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      2007, Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
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      We will revisit these issues later in the article. Although about ⅔ of all primary care physicians work in group practices,6 a number of studies7–10 have documented the benefits of continuity of care. These observations support the view that a patient should be seen, whenever possible, by his or her physician, and therefore, that a panel should be associated with an individual physician.

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    **

    This research was supported by Grant 5-R18-HS00237 from the National Center for Health Services Research and Development.

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