Standardizing Generalist Definitions to Improve Evidence in General Medicine: Addressing Diverse Interpretations and Lack of Consistency.
Risa HirataMasaki TagoKiyoshi ShikinoYasuharu TokudaHiromizu TakahashiYosuke SasakiTaro ShimizuPublished in: International journal of general medicine (2024)
The definition of GM was unclear based on the results of the literature search, and the lack of uniformity in backgrounds has rendered the target population unclear. Consequently, in healthcare settings where medical systems vary by country or region, evidence from studies targeting generalists cannot readily apply to actual practice. Clarifying generalists through an explicit definition based on clinical practice will allow for a more precise target population for research on generalists and enable the accumulation of evidence related to well-defined groups of generalists, contributing to the advancement of GM. Therefore, future research is required to develop new indicators to precisely classify and define generalists.