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In 1986 the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation commissioned a survey of the Academy's membership to determine the practice patterns of physiatrists. Responses were received from 1,115 members (75%). Approximately 65% of respondents are under 43 years old; 64% are graduates of American medical schools. Fifty-six percent practice in communities with populations of 500,000 or more persons; only 9% practice in communities of less than 50,000 people. Nearly 53% practice in a single setting and the average work week is 50.6 hours, with most of those hours spent in some aspect of patient care. The most frequent diagnosis in all practice settings is pain syndrome; consultation is the primary activity. Survey results show that physiatry is still primarily a hospital-based specialty, although significant time is spent in office-based settings. Data gleaned from this first attempt at an extensive analysis of physiatric practice characteristics will be utilized in planning how to meet future needs of the specialty, its practitioners and their patients.