How free is my patient? Health inequalities and the GP consultation (24 November 2021)

Summary

In this blog for the British Journal of General Practice comment and opinion website, BJGP Life, GP Will Mackintosh discusses the impact of health inequalities on patients' ability to play an active role in their care. He calls for training for all GPs to understand the constraints and pressures that may be affecting their patients, so that they can better assess the causes of health issues and therefore treat them more effectively. The article examines concepts of freedom for both GP and patient, and argues that a purely evidence-based approach does not help patients from deprived backgrounds overcome health issues. The author highlights that GPs operate in a 'grey zone' between the medical and the non-medical, and argues that this means they are well placed to understand and help tackle the root causes of health disparities.