The Section of General Practice works on research and education within general medical issues, as well as on professional challenges and tasks related to general medicine locally, nationally, and internationally.
FAM oversees the management of PraksisNett, an infrastructure that facilitates researchers in conducting good-quality clinical studies in Norwegian general practice.
The head of the department is Professor Øystein Hetlevik.
Research within the field is now organized into 4 groups, where our PhD students are affiliated:
HELFORSK - research on healthcare with a focus on general practitioner services and collaboration involving general practitioner services.
HEMIX - research themes based on a holistic understanding of health and disease, particularly targeting individuals with substance dependence and migrants, but also with a broader public health perspective.
Research in Medical Education - research, theory development, and knowledge implementation within medical education, in collaboration with national and international research environments.
SMIL - practice-oriented research relevant to general medicine, with a focus on sleep, musculoskeletal, infection, and laboratory (SMIL).
Teaching is a shared responsibility for everyone in FAM and is primarily associated with medical studies.
Dissemination is also an important part of our societal mission. Our employees are involved in public debate, contribute with professional input to decision-makers, and provide general information about health and healthcare to the population. Through a regular column in Paraplyen (in Norwegian), the membership magazine for the Hordaland Medical Association, updates from FAM are communicated to colleagues in practice. Our annual reports (in Norwegian) provide an overview of tasks, publications, and staff.
Calendar
This section has a history dating back to 1972 when general practice became its own academic discipline at the University of Bergen. General practice later became part of the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS), and since 2018, we have been organized as the Section for General Practice (FAM), one of seven sections at IGS. On the 50th anniversary in 2021, the history was summarized in the book "Academic General Practice in Bergen 50 years: 1972–2022". FAM collaborates closely in research and education with the General Practice Research Unit (AFE) in Bergen, the National Competence Center for Emergency Primary Health Care (NKLM), the Norwegian Quality Improvement of Laboratory Services outside Hospitals (NOKLUS), and the Center for Quality in General Practice Services (SKIL).