Objective: To identify factors associated with carrying out preventive activities in primary care.
Design: A crossover study through a self-administered questionnaire.
Setting: Reformed and non-reformed centres of the primary care sub-division of the Barcelona Health Region, Catalan Health Institute.
Participants: 134 doctors from reformed centres (primary care teams) and 138 from non-reformed primary care centres (PCC).
Measurements and main results: Doctors from the reformed centres used records to a much greater extent (75.3% as against 26.3% for tobacco consumption; 76.2% as against 27.9% for alcohol consumption). Together with the type of centre, some professional characteristics were linked to the likelihood of carrying out preventive activities. These included, in particular, professionals' high valuation of their own effectiveness and professional practices such as the habitual use of a safety belt and anti-flu injections.
Conclusions: In the reformed centres preventive activities are much more integrated. To optimise their use other important aspects, such as training in skills and improving professionals' perception of their own effectiveness, will have to be considered.