Awareness of the role of general practitioners in primary care among outpatient populations: evidence from a cross-sectional survey of tertiary hospitals in China.

Outpatients who could have received less costly health services from GPs in primary medical institutions were more likely to choose costlier specialist physicians in tertiary hospitals, which is likely linked to limited knowledge about GPs. Policy makers should invest in outreach efforts to improve public awareness of GPs, while at the same time conducting continued surveillance of these efforts to evaluate progress towards this goal.