CPHN Reference: Service Group

Here is the definition and some information directly from the CPHN Guide for Common Indicators for Canadian Physician Health Programs:

The Service Groups is the group to which the individual calling the PHP, or the potential client, belongs.  The service groups include students, residents or retired individuals.  While PHPs were developed to provide service to physicians and their families, some have expanded to provide services to other professional groups.  The value list below reflects only those professions to whom Canadian PHPs provide services in 2005.  It may be necessary to expand this list as programs report additional information in the "other professional" category.

Calls can also come from persons who are not health professionals, such as educators, researchers, or the general public.  This variable does not specify the individual caller's relationship to the client or potential client.  For example, a call from a physician's wife would be recorded under the "physician" service group.  Currently several Canadian PHPs provide services to other professionals which include dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and lawyers.