The majority of Norwegian GPs had and preferred private practice, but a significant minority would prefer a salaried position. The current private practice based system in Norway seems best suited to the preferences of experienced GPs in urban communities.

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Since patients with sexually transmitted disease (STD) form the most apparent risk group for HIV infection in general practice, differences in sexual behaviour in patients with and without STD were studied. Patients fulfilling at least one of four clinical criteria for suspicion of STD were offered four microbiological tests and a serological HIV test and were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning possible HIV exposure. Control patients were selected from a sample of ordinary consulting patients in general practice, without clinical suspicion of STD. The answers to the questionnaires given by six male and 52 female patients with a positive microbiological test for STD were compared with answers given by control patients matched for sex, age, education and geographical region. Females with STD had multiple male partners more often than controls. STD patients were more uncertain whether they had had sex with a HIV-positive person, and they reported more previous gonorrhea than the control patients. The proportion of patients who reported practicing oral sex was the same in both groups, while data for anal sex were insufficient. There were no significant differences in the use of condoms with a new partner, although there was a higher proportion of never-users of condoms among the STD patients. Identifying STD patients on clinical grounds is difficult in general practice. Clinical criteria have limited sensitivity because of asymptomatic infections, and the specificity is low. Patients with microbiologically confirmed STD should receive HIV-related attention, but attention to STD patients alone is not enough. Many people without STD have sexual behaviour which may exposure them to the HIV virus. The only means to a selective approach is increased attention to an appropriate sexual medical history.

Icelanders and 51 participants from other countries, altogether 1033 persons, were awaited. As Troms ø has no big venue, the congress had to be shared between two neighbouring hotels, quayside in the city centre. In the sunny spring weather, this location felt perfect. The summing and humming of many tongues, mingling and networking out in the open, accompanied by seagulls, was for us the signature tune of the congress.This engaged participation started many months earlier with early registrations and a large number of submitted abstracts. To our knowledge, the whole scientifi c programme took place as planned. Choosing between the many interesting parallel sessions was not easy. In many of the contributions we could recognize a reference to our vision for the congress: ' Caring for people where they are ' . We also had an idea of a relation between the scientifi c and the cultural programme, which materialized beyond our expectations. The opening with songs of Mari Boine and the premiere of a fi lm about professor Anders Forsdahl connected the audience to the people living in the High North, but also had a universal appeal.Which were the highlights of the congress? More than half of the participants responded to our QuestBack evaluation. The highest scores were given to the congress surroundings, the opening ceremony, and the overall opinion of the congress. The plenary speakers were also highly ranked. Our interpretation is that the blending of it all was successful: The place, the people, the programme and what happened in-between. We hope that the congress in this meaning was an inspiration for our daily work as doctors, researchers and leaders. The high attendance from young participants at this congress felt