Current health policy initiatives and options. New-to-practice family physicians' attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information about new-to-practice family physicians' attitudes toward current health policy options and initiatives. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, mailed survey. SETTING: Ontario family practices. PARTICIPANTS: Residency-trained Ontario family physicians (395 of 564 eligible physicians replied) who were certified between 1989 and 1991. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Extent of approval or disapproval for 14 health policy options and initiatives. RESULTS: A 70% response rate was achieved. More than half of surveyed physicians expressed approval for shifting resources from acute care into preventive care and health promotion (71.6% approved), stricter immigration requirements to limit licensing of foreign physicians in Canada (60.4%), offering physicians salaries as an alternative to fee-for-service (54.0%), and incentives to physicians who wish to practise in community health centres or other forms of salaried group practice (51.1%). Some diversity of opinion was associated with sex, type of practice, primary source of remuneration, and practice location. CONCLUSIONS: These new-to-practice family physicians display diverse views and should not be seen as sharing a single opinion of health care policy options and initiatives. Many approve of changes to the health care system or are willing to consider policy alternatives.