Ambulatory care training during core internal medicine residency training: the Canadian experience.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the status of ambulatory care training of core internal medicine residents in Canada. DESIGN: Mail survey. PARTICIPANTS: All 16 program directors of internal medicine residency training programs in Canada. OUTCOME MEASURES: The nature and amount of ambulatory care training experienced by residents, information about the faculty tutors, and the sources and types of patients seen by the residents. As well, the program directors were asked for their opinions on the ideal ambulatory care program and the kinds of teaching skills required of tutors. RESULTS: All of the directors responded. Fifteen stated that the ambulatory care program is mandatory, and the other stated that it is an elective. Block rotations are more common than continuity-of-care assignments. In 12 of the programs 10% or less of the overall training time is spent in ambulatory care. In 11 the faculty tutors comprise a mixture of generalists and subspecialists. The tutors simultaneously care for patients and teach residents in the ambulatory care setting in 14 of the schools. Most are paid through fee-for-service billing. The respondents felt that the ideal program should contain a mix of general and subspecialty ambulatory care training. There was no consensus on whether it should be a block or continuity-of-care experience, but the directors felt that consultation and communication skills should be emphasized regardless of which type of experience prevails. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is a widespread commitment to provide core internal medicine residents with experience in ambulatory care, there is little uniformity in how this is achieved in Canadian training programs.     

Preparedness for hospital practice among graduates of a problem-based,graduate-entry medical program

OBJECTIVE: To compare preparedness for hospital practice between graduates from a problem-based, graduate-entry medical program and those from other programs (undergraduate problem-based and traditional). DESIGN: Survey of graduates (by mailed questionnaire) and organisers of clinical training (by semistructured interview); results were compared with published results of surveys of graduates from other programs. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All graduates of the first intake of the University of Sydney graduate-entry medical program were surveyed at the end of their first intern year (2001), along with the director of clinical training or intern manager at each of the New South Wales hospitals that employed the graduates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Graduates' self-reported level of preparedness in the eight domains of the Preparation for Hospital Practice Questionnaire; and organisers' opinions of their strengths and weaknesses. RESULTS: 76 of 108 graduates from the graduate-entry program (70%) and organisers of clinical training at all 17 hospitals participated. Graduates from the program felt more prepared than did those from other programs in five of the eight domains assessed (interpersonal skills, confidence, collaboration, holistic care, and self-directed learning) and no less prepared in any domain. Organisers rated the graduates highly, especially in clinical competence, confidence, communication and professional skills. Opinions of interns' knowledge of basic sciences conflicted, with strengths and weaknesses mentioned with equal frequency. CONCLUSION: Graduates from the graduate-entry, problem-based program are at least as well prepared for their intern year as graduates from traditional and undergraduate problem-based programs.     

近观美国全科医生规范化培训有感

目的 实地了解美国全科医生规范化培训项目,为我国的全科医生培养提供参考。 方法 赴美国内布拉斯加大学医学中心(University of nebraska medical center,UNMC)参加全科医学师资培训,实地接触了解美国全科医生的规范化培训项目。 结果 美国全科医生的规范化培训项目发展比较成熟,培训效果较好,以下几点令人印象深刻:①培训项目设计严谨实用,确保经过培训的全科医生能够为居民提供安全、高质量、综合性、连续性的医疗照护。美国全科医生规范化培训项目专业设置全面,重视在社区诊所的培训和解决社区常见健康问题的能力,强调对临床实用技能的掌握,充分体现全科医学综合性、连续性的特点,不断强化全科医生的全科意识。②美国的全科医生以诊所服务、医院服务和护理院服务为主导,服务内容涵盖预防、保健、治疗、康复、健康教育等多个方面,并对慢性病患者和康复期患者进行持续追踪管理,真正实现为个人和家庭提供全面、连续的健康和医疗照顾。③注重医患沟通、提高人文修养是全科医生的必备技能,沟通技巧和人文关怀贯穿美国全科医生培训全过程和临床实践。以上几点可为我国的全科医生培养提供参考借鉴。 结论 标准化、规范化的住院医师培训项目是美国全科医生培养的基石,是美国高质量初级医疗卫生保健服务的关键。      

重庆市首届农村订单定向医学生基层工作情况及对策建议

背景　国家发展改革委等5部门于2010年启动实施农村订单定向医学生免费培养工作，截至目前已为中西部乡镇卫生院培养了近5.7万名订单定向生，从规模上实现了为中西部每家乡镇卫生院培养1名从事全科医疗本科医学生的“全覆盖”。订单定向医学生在基层的工作和生活现况，以及基层医疗卫生单位对订单定向生的评价，是值得进一步关注的问题。目的　了解重庆市2010级首届订单定向生在基层的工作和生活情况，进而为订单定向生的培养与使用提供建议。方法　于2019年8-12月，以重庆市2010级完成5年本科医学教育、3年住院医师规范化培训并履约到基层工作的首批订单定向生为调查对象（n=160），采用研究组自行设计的调查表，调查其工作单位情况、薪酬待遇、服务期满后的工作计划、生活状况及面临的困难、对基层工作满意度等。另分别对重庆市永川区、南岸区、梁平区、黔江区订单定向生所在区（县）卫生健康委相关管理人员、签约乡镇卫生院的院负责人和中层管理人员共38人开展焦点小组访谈，主要访谈其对首届农村订单定向医学生的评价、影响订单定向生“扎根基层”的因素及培养建议等。结果　最终回收有效调查表121份（75.6%）。工作方面：43例（35.5%）订单定向生所在工作单位已设立全科医学科/全科诊室；16例（13.2%）在工作单位从事全科岗位；98例（81.0%）月收入<6 000元；97例（80.2%）已通过中级职称考试，但其中的90例（92.8%）尚未被聘为主治医师；81例（66.9%）近一年未参加过继续医学教育培训/学术会议；对于服务期满后的工作计划，66例（54.6%）表示不清楚，5例（4.1%）计划继续留在基层工作。生活方面：21例（17.4%）订单定向生表示单位提供免费周转房，93例（76.9%）认为单位不能为其解决部分实际困难。对基层工作的满意度方面：86例（71.1%）订单定向生对个人收入不满意，57例（47.1%）对工作岗位和承担任务不满意，24例（19.9%）对个人工作业绩不满意，22例（18.2%）对单位领导重视程度不满意。访谈结果显示：订单定向生在基层工作单位展现出较强的学习能力，综合素质较高，但收入欠佳；受多种因素影响，订单定向生长期服务基层的意愿不强；建议高校和住院医师规范化培训单位加强对订单定向生思想方面的引领，同时加强订单定向生与签约单位的沟通。结论　首届订单定向生在乡镇卫生院的工作满意度不高，基层单位对订单定向生重视程度不足，订单定向生培养模式和签约单位的需求“脱节”。教育培训单位应该进一步完善订单定向生培养模式，相关政府部门须全面落实薪酬及职称晋升等相关待遇，使订单定向生能够“下得去、用得上、留得住”。     

Factors determining patients' satisfaction in a family practice residency teaching center

A primary function of family medicine teaching centers is to provide residents with ongoing experiences with patients and their families. A critical issue in maintaining a stable patient population for such teaching is patient satisfaction. In the study reported here, the authors examined the factors determining patients' satisfaction. A questionnaire was mailed to a representative sample of 10 percent of the patients in a family practice in a family medical center. Seventy-eight percent of the sample responded; these respondents were representative of the sample population. Four variables were identified as significant in determining the patients' satisfaction: whether the patients felt that the time spent with their identified family physician was adequate and that the physician's explanations regarding their health care and the teaching program were clear; whether the patients felt comfortable in expressing their concerns about the teaching program to the permanent staff members; whether the patients had a positive attitude regarding the teaching program; and whether the patients felt that their identified family physician was available to them.     

A survey of postgraduate training for family practice

The results of a survey of Canadian primary care physicians for the Canadian Medical Association (CMA's) Task Force on Education for the Provision of Primary Care Services are reported. Recent Canadian medical school graduates in primary care practice reported that the three major training routes (rotating and mixed internships and family medicine residencies) each prepared them differently for practice. The graduates of 2-year family medicine residencies were more satisfied with their preparation than were the graduates of the other major training routes. A 2- or 3-year family medicine residency was preferred by 50% of the respondents, although only 33% of them had actually taken one of these routes. There was considerable agreement in the respondents' assessments of the types of postgraduate education needed for primary care practice. The results of this survey were consistent with the recommendations in the final report of the CMA's task force.     

Inpatient performance of primary care residents: impact of reduction in time on the ward.

The inpatient (ward/intensive-care-unit) performance of primary care medical residents was compared with that of their peers in the standard internal medicine residency program. The primary care residents spent half as much time on inpatient rotations as did their peers in the first two years of training. History-taking, physical examination, case presentation, record-keeping, patient management, and overall performance were assessed and scored by the attending physicians using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Clinical Performance Evaluation Form. The performances of the two groups were nearly identical, suggesting that substantial time in the first two years of residency can be devoted to ambulatory training without markedly compromising development of acute care skills.     

Nurse practitioners in primary care III. The southern Ontario randomized trial

A group of nurses who formerly had performed office functions received a special university-based educational program designed to prepare them to assume much of primary care management as nurse practitioners. The associated family physicians would shift their role to general supervision and attention to difficult clinical problems. To test this new form of practice, two complementary randomized trials have been conducted in south-central Ontario. The particular trial reported here was intended to assess the influence of the educational program on the changing roles of the professional personnel. The nurses of 14 family medical practices, with the physicians' support and commitment to participation, applied for the new training. Seven applicants were randomly selected to receive the training and their corresponding practices became the experimental group, while the remaining nurses and practices were retained as controls. During the subsequent year of investigation important changes occurred in professional roles of the experimental group. Nurse practitioners spent more time in clinical activities than conventional office nurses. The shift was not at the expense of time devoted to clinical work by physicians. Doctors delegated more professional activities to nurse practitioners than to conventional nurses. Except for remuneration (affected by legal constraints) job satisfaction among experimental physicians and nurses remained high after one year of experience with the new method.     

A senior-year experience similar to an internship.

A senior year experience similar to an internship was initiated in community hospitals. It is designed to shorten the overall length of training and to restore a broad-based clinical experience to the period of "intermediate patient care responsibility" in the training of new physicians. The program provides students with an opportunity to observe and practice in a primary care setting and expands the clinical resources of the medical school. Analysis of the performance of students in the class of 1974 indicates that they perform on a level comparable with first-year house officers. This program provides a general clinical experience for those students who have not yet decided on future training plans or who are going into primary care fields.     

Are medical graduates ready to face the challenges of Foundation training?

PURPOSE OF STUDY Previous research demonstrates that graduating medical students often feel unprepared for practice and that their perceptions of preparedness correlate only partially with those of their supervising consultants. This study explores the components of preparedness for practice from the perspectives of both newly qualified doctors and their educational supervisors. STUDY DESIGN A questionnaire study was undertaken at the University of Edinburgh, involving feedback on preparedness for practice over three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009, against 13 major programme outcomes, from graduates and their educational supervisors. In addition, free text responses were sought and thematically analysed. RESULTS Graduates consistently felt well prepared in consultation and communication skills but less prepared in acute care and prescribing. Educational supervisors consistently felt that graduates were well prepared in information technology and communication skills but less prepared in acute care and practical procedures. Free text analysis identified four main themes: knowledge; skills; personal attributes; and familiarity with the ward environment. CONCLUSIONS Preparedness for practice data can be enriched by repeated collection over several years, comparison of different perspectives, and incorporation of free text responses. The non-technical skills of decision-making, initiative, prioritisation, and coping with stress are important components of preparing new doctors for practice. Education for Foundation trainees should focus on the areas in which graduates are perceived to be less prepared, such as acute care, prescribing, and procedural skills.     

Attitudes of house officers toward a hospice on a medical service

A hospice program (HP) was established on the medical service at the Denver Veterans Administration Medical Center (DVAMC) for the care of the terminally ill cancer patients and to integrate such care into house staff training. A two-bed inpatient unit was managed by an intern, a resident, and the attending physician with the aid of a multidisciplinary team. During the program's first year, 29 patients were cared for with an average inpatient stay of 26 days. Twenty-nine out of a possible 33 house officers returned questionnaires evaluating their hospice experience. Twenty-eight respondents felt that the hospice program was appropriate in a teaching hospital. Over half indicated improved awareness of the psychological problems of their patients and families. Two-thirds of the house staff members felt that the HP changed their approach to pain control and made them more comfortable in dealing with terminally ill patients. From this study, it can be concluded that a hospice program can be successfully integrated into an active medical teaching service.     

Gender differences in practice characteristics of graduates of family medicine residencies

A survey of 310 graduates of eight university-affiliated family medicine residencies in the northwestern United States conducted in 1985 revealed several significant differences between male and female graduates. The female graduates were significantly (p less than .05) more likely than male graduates to practice in urban settings, taking salaried positions, and work in nonprivate practice. With regard to practice content the women spent significantly (p less than .01) more time in the office setting, worked fewer hours per week in direct patient care, and reported doing fewer complex procedures in their practice than did the men. The women were more satisfied than the men with their income but equally satisfied as the men with their professional and personal lives. There were no significant gender differences with regard to concerns about liability and hospital privileges. The women felt significantly (p less than .05) less well prepared in several subject areas, especially surgical areas; hierarchical multiple-regression analysis showed that this difference persisted when analysis controlled for community size and practice setting. Possible explanations and implications are proposed.     

Two combined residency programs in internal medicine and pediatrics

Combined residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics is becoming a popular postgraduate program among graduating medical students. The number of such programs has increased rapidly but with little interchange of ideas and without the benefit of a national data base. In this paper, the authors review the experience of two combined programs. Initially established because of the desire to provide broad-based training in primary care, the programs now offer a curriculum that prepares residents for primary care or education in the subspecialties. The difficulty for residents of achieving competence in two disciplines is compounded by a lack of faculty role models. The two programs offer special advantages to the residents and the departments involved. The career outcomes of program graduates have varied from primary care or subspecialty practice in one or both disciplines to faculty positions in teaching institutions. Whether the program remains successful will depend on the ability of its graduates to offer special talents to academic and clinical practice settings and on the availability of funding.     

A proposal for a combined family practice--internal medicine residency

Both family practice and internal medicine currently train graduates for primary care. A single, four-year program is proposed that combines the strengths of family practice and internal medicine, incorporates community needs into the curriculum, and addresses the physician's changed role in a revolutionized health care provision system. Specific training recommendations and the societal and professional advantages of such a program are detailed.     

A rural primary care pediatric residency program

Rural primary care is often reported in the medical literature as frustrating, lonely, and nonrewarding. Many graduating residents who choose small town practice become quickly disenchanted with the life-style and leave for a more populous territory or subspecialty training. Opportunities to learn how to take advantage of rural settings and establish rewarding community practices are few. The Primary Care Pediatric Residency Program at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has developed a training program in rural primary care. Residents experience over a three-year period the many facets of rural practice and are introduced to community-oriented approaches to child health care. Selected rural pediatric practices within a 45-mile radius of the medical center serve as teaching laboratories in which residents develop the skills necessary to manage children's problems related to school, behavioral disorders, and chronic diseases.     

Comparison of graduates of regular curriculum and unified basic-science-clinical curriculum

The purpose of the study reported here was to identify differences between graduates who were in different curricula at Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. The physicians who had been in the special track, which combined the basic and clinical sciences throughout the program, chose specialties in family practice and psychiatry more than the regular track students and more often were salaried. One-third of those in the special curriculum felt the greatest strength of their medical school training was the preparation for independent learning, and a majority viewed a practice in which there were uncertainties in diagnosis as desirable. The traditional program graduate preferred to deal with cases in which important decisions had to be made rapidly and the effects of treatment could be immediately addressed. The two groups disagreed as to who should have major control of health care, on issues of peer review in the office, and on the emphasis physicians should give preventive care.     

上海市94名全科医师规范化培训学员学习意愿的调查

对94名参加全科医师规范化培训的学员进行问卷调查,了解学员的学习意愿及其影响因素.结果 表明,超过80%的学员学习态度积极,并希望获得继续教育的机会;76%的学员认为培训计划基本合理但有待进一步完善;94%的学员认为目前伞科培训模式需要进一步结合国情,更好地满足我国社区卫生服务中心实际工作需求.提示,全科医学教材应更符合我国国情,并增加社区常见慢性病相关科室学习时间,完善全科教育体系.     

Mental health education in three primary care specialties

The authors used a questionnaire to examine the characteristics of the mental health components of residency training in traditional internal medicine, primary care internal medicine, and family practice. Traditional internal medicine programs relied almost exclusively on the consultation method and inpatient facilities, offered little formal instruction, used the psychiatrist as the primary teacher, and spent considerably less per resident for mental health training than the other programs. Psychologists and social workers as a group were the primary mental health teachers in family medicine residencies. Traditional internal medicine programs emphasized psychophysiological reactions and simple pharmacotherapy, while primary care internal medicine and family practice programs concentrated on life cycle issues, psychosocial awareness, and simple psychosocial management techniques. None of the three types of residencies focused on complex psychiatric disorders or management techniques. The three specialties differed significantly (F = 13, p = .0001) in the total amount of time on average the resident spent in formal mental health instruction. The need for evaluation of the outcome of training is also discussed.     

Relieving medical officers in Queensland country hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of training and preparedness of Queensland country hospital relieving staff to perform their duties. DESIGN: A postal survey of 208 medical graduates who graduated in 1983 and were first enrolled on the Queensland Medical Register in 1985. RESULTS: Among the problems described was a lack of practical training in obstetrics, anaesthetics, paediatrics and emergency services. Most respondents (83%) stated that their total experience had been inadequate to provide the services required of them as relievers. Unsupervised services were provided by inexperienced junior doctors. Seventy-two per cent of all obstetric relievers, and 57% of all anaesthetic relievers, had completed three months or less of supervised postgraduate training at the time of the survey. This was reflected in poor levels of confidence to perform basic procedures, despite the fact that a high percentage of respondents had been called upon to do this. Both undergraduate and postgraduate training was felt to be inadequate. Suggestions made by respondents focused primarily on the provision of supervised "hands-on" clinical experience, with longer and more practically oriented training at both levels, decentralisation of teaching, and more readily available formal non-specialist qualifications in obstetrics and anaesthetics. CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents claimed that they were inadequately prepared for the relieving experience. The provision of supervised hands-on basic clinical training and that of competent country relievers might both be achieved by longer rotations to provincial centres on a regular basis in the early postgraduate years.     

论医学研究生思想政治教育的机制建设

医学研究生是承载我国医学卫生事业发展重任的精英级人才,如何加强医学研究生的思想政治教育工作,确保医学研究生的培养质量,一直是医学研究生教育工作者的重要课题。本文结合所在医学院校的工作实践,讨论加强医学研究生思想政治教育的机制建设对医学研究生成长、成才的重要性。