One of the few real and lasting benefits of international medical meetings is the opportunity to meet, talk, gossip and get to know colleagues from other countries. So it was that we met, talked and planned at WONCA (World Organization of National Colleges and Academies and Academic Associa­ tions of General Practitioners/Family Physicians) meetings at Montreux and New Orleans. We realized that although we worked in different places and in different practices 'primary health care' was essentially the same the world over. Our roles, our problems, our clinical content, our challenges and objectives were similar whether we work in Europe, North America, Australasia, South Africa or developing countries. With such similarities we asked ourselves - 'why not share our common experiences for mutual benefits?' The question developed into an idea and the idea into this book. We started by selecting what we considered were important topics and then we invited friends and colleagues to join us in putting our experiences and beliefs from years of practice to readers from all over the world to demonstrate our common concerns and to learn from one another.