How many patients should primary care physicians care for? Study finds it's hard to say

Is there an optimal number of patients that primary care physicians should care for?

Turns out there isn’t enough evidence to draw any conclusions, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

After reviewing 28 studies that looked at primary care patient load and the effect on health outcomes and provider burnout, researchers concluded that there is insufficient evidence to make any evidence-based recommendations about the optimal number of patients that doctors should see to achieve beneficial health outcomes.