ABSTRACT
The roles and the resource needs of a variety of professionals in the event of a biological attack are clear and discussed elsewhere in this book. Much less welldefined is the place of the family physician or other primary care provider (whether in a private practice setting or hospital-based) in a coordinated response to the challenge of bioterrorism. Of the common points of entry into the health care system — emergency departments, emergency medical services, diagnostic and walk-in clinics, public health clinics — the private physician’s office has, perhaps, received the least attention in planning discussions. Nonetheless, it can be assumed that many individuals will turn to their private physicians for advice in the event of a biological attack, and some victims of such an attack might present first to their own physicians rather than to emergency rooms.
