In an experiment evaluating comprehensive pediatric care provided for low-income families, changes in attitudes and satisfactions were examined. Certain general attitudes remained unchanged, but where care was actually delivered there was increased satisfaction and an increased preference for a primary physician. The authors point up the need for further study.

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THE POOR are demanding that America consider and deal with their problems, social, economic, and medical. America, as a nation, is demanding that the medical profession provide high quality, yet compassionate medical care for all its citizens.While the doctor-patient relationship always has been considered the sine qua non of medical practice, a double standard has developed for low-income families.The care of this group of patients is described as episodic, fragmented, crisis oriented, and anonymous.1 The absence of a single physician to provide both preventive and curative services precludes the development of any relationship between doctor and patient. In the attempt to supply this need, large scale comprehensive medical care programs for l ow\x=req-\ income families have been established. These programs are based upon the assumption that such programs inevitably will improve the health of the patients served. The supporting evidence for this hypothesis is at best scanty; the need for data is critical if these programs are to develop rationally. This report presents preliminary data from a study that attempts to evaluate the effect of a comprehensive family-focused pediatrie program on the health of a se-