The seen and unseen work of general practice: a national diary study of New Zealand General Practitioners

While it is recognised that patient contact time is not the only activity that GPs perform in the course of their work, this study provides detail of the range and volume of work undertaken by GPs. A 40-hour week in general practice cannot only recognise patient contact time. Consideration of all other unseen hours must be factored into resourcing and models of care.