A survey of US primary care physicians shows that many believe that their own patients are receiving too much medical care and many feel that malpractice reform, realignment of financial incentives, and having more time with patients could reduce pressures on physicians to do more than they feel is needed, according to a report in Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Per capita US health care spending exceeds, by a factor of two, that of the average industrialized nation and is growing at an unsustainable rate," the authors write as background information in the article. "A number of health care epidemiologists and economists, however, have suggested that a substantial amount of US health care is actually unnecessary." The authors also note that the opinions on rate of care of primary care physicians, whom they acknowledge are the "frontline of health care delivery," are unknown.

Brenda E. Sirovich, MD, MS, and colleagues from the VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, Vt, and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, conducted a national mail survey of US primary care physicians identified from a random sample of the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, between June and December 2009. Of the surveys mailed, 627 physicians participated, for a response rate of 70%.

Nearly half (42%) of all survey respondents believe that patients in their own practice receive too much medical care, while only 6% believe that their patients receive too little care. Just over half (52%) believe the amount of care received is just right. Additionally, 28% of respondents said they personally were practicing more aggressively than they would like, and 29% felt that other primary care physicians in their community were practicing too aggressively.

Forty-seven percent of respondents reported that mid-level primary care clinicians (nurse practitioners, physician assistants) practice too aggressively, and 61% felt that medical subspecialists practice too aggressively.