Background: General practitioners will often consult with patients in situations where professional skill is required to support a decision regarding insurance.
Objective: The aim of this article is to assist doctors' understanding of the basis of insurance and risk, in order to support their own practice in this important area.
Discussion: This article provides information about insurance and the professional skills required to assist in decisions made by insurance companies (for which, commercial factors predominate), and/or by patients (in whom, social and emotional factors may be more important). A quality improvement activity is provided for those interested in making changes to their practice.