The study proposal was approved by PAHO in the summer of 1999. The study consisted of a three-step process. The initial step was to identify and review current literature that would provide information regarding family health policies and strategies as well as the status of Family Medicine in the Americas. The second step was to conduct a survey of representatives from the American countries on the status of Family Health and Family Medicine. The third step consisted of supplementing or clarifying the information obtaned through the survey, when necessary, with follow-up-phone interviews with select participants