Development and professional qualification of general practice and family medicine in Germany

Abstract

Objective: This article aims to analyze the professional and faculty development of general practice and family medicine (GP/FM) in Germany and discuss its facing challenges. Methods: It is a case study identifying characteristics and potential intervention tools, describing training and qualification requirements in family medicine in Germany. Results: The traditional caring role of GP in Germany has a long history, but GP has no gatekeeper function, which weakens its position in the system. In the past decades, GP has undergone several transformations; it is no longer a practice based on the traditional “Hausarzt” style. It has become a medical specialty of primary care with more modern foundations; it requires five years of practical training in internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery and general medicine, and it is governed by the Physician Chambers. In undergraduate education, courses in General Practice are mandatory. In recent years, the new curriculum requirements have led to an intense process of academic development with the creation of General Practice departments in 20 of the 36 public medical schools in the country. Conclusions: The process of professionalization and faculty development in GP/FM as well as the expansion of undergraduate training in the specialty aim to enhance the appeal of GP/FM to young doctors. This development strengthens academic research on GP/FM, which contributes to enhancing the institutional basis of GP/FM as a science, allowing bolder interaction and collaboration with other branches of medicine and real appreciation of this subject (GP/FM).