Learning objectives for training and continuing education in occupational medicine.

Occupational medicine (OM) training programs apparently vary more in content and practice skills than other medical special training programs. This variation appears to exist both within programs, in that individual trainees in some programs may engage in very different experiences, and between programs. Some variation is not necessarily undesirable, considering the multiplicity of professional roles, the eclectic backgrounds of many residents, and the diversity of points of view in each of the specialties. However, excessive variation in medical content and practice skills in the training experience may result in uneven training and, in fact, undermines the integrity of the specialty. A consensus on core content and skills for specialty training might help. A consensus would help physicians to judge their own level of preparation in order to decide to participate in further training and continuing education programs. I prepared a model set of objectives for occupational medicine under the auspices and with the endorsement of the American College of Preventive Medicine. Further evaluation can refine the objectives, implement use of the objectives in formal training programs, and assess the utility of the format for other preventive medicine specialties.     

健康中国战略下临床医学培养方案之预防医学课程体系现况研究

目的 了解健康中国背景下我国各高校临床医学培养方案中预防医学课程设置现况。方法 抽取全国各区域共36份临床医学专业培养方案进行统计分析。内容包括基本信息、培养目标涉及预防理念的情况、预防医学课程开设情况等。结果 所有培养方案中,22份（61%）在培养目标中未提及预防或群体健康;只有1所高校将预防医学与基础医学、临床医学一起列为主干学科。预防医学核心课程（卫生学、医学统计学、流行病学、临床流行病学、循证医学和社会医学）的总学时数从80～252不等,平均为（156.7±43.2）学时。预防医学课程占总课时数的百分比平均为4.3%±1.1%,最低的仅占2.5%,最高的也只占7.5%,均不足总课时数的10%。各高校之间预防医学各门课程的学时数差异较大。结论 现有临床医学专业人才培养方案中预防理念渗透不足,预防医学课程学时数占比极低,各高校预防医学课时数差异较大。加强新时代临床医学生预防理念的培养迫在眉睫,建议从强化预防为主的观念、完善临床医学课程体系、强化预防与临床融合发展和注重临床研究能力提升4个方面不断完善临床医学专业人才培养方案。     

The AMA Residency Training in Adolescent Preventive Services Project: report of the working group. The American Medical Association.

PURPOSE: To improve resident education in provision of adolescent preventive health care. The American Medical Association (AMA) Residency Training in Adolescent Preventive Services Project Working Group convened to identify specific goals and objectives (G&Os) for pediatric and family medicine resident education in adolescent clinical preventive services and recommend strategies to achieve these G&Os. METHODS: Iterative review process involving members of the working group, nine experienced teaching faculty and 16 resident physicians from family medicine and pediatric training programs, and an advisory board. RESULTS: We achieved consensus on appropriate G&Os for pediatric and family medicine residency education in adolescent clinical preventive services. Faculty and residents expressed concerns about achieving G&Os because of challenges to implementing effective training and evaluation strategies. Suggestions for achieving G&Os included development of an adolescent clinical preventive services curriculum and evaluation program that could be adapted for use in a variety of training program structures. Faculty and residents anticipated the success of a training curriculum would be influenced by: (a) availability of adequate numbers of skilled teaching faculty; (b) availability of time and support for faculty development and teaching efforts; and (c) exposure of residents to adequate numbers of adolescent patients in settings where there are clear expectations for delivery of comprehensive preventive services. CONCLUSIONS: The AMA Residency Training in Adolescent Preventive Services Project Working Group presents G&Os for organizing training experiences in adolescent clinical preventive services in family medicine and pediatric residency training programs and recommends strategies to achieve these G&Os.     

Postgraduate preventive medicine: Where do we stand today

It appears that the specialty of preventive medicine is declining as a viable specialty, with inadequate numbers of practitioners and with a declining number of physicians entering residency training programs. However, additional data are needed to make rough estimates of the level of need in the future. Even without that data, we must begin to address the potential shortage in trained manpower, because there is a trend that cannot be ignored pointing to a potential shortage. Several points must be pursued. All medical students must be exposed to the excitement we all feel about preventive care. Our teaching programs in medical schools must be strengthened to assure that there is rigor in these programs and that the potential of preventive medicine is conveyed. It is imperative to examine the field to discover why so many of our self-designated specialists in preventive medicine are not board-certified. Obviously one reason could be that a hungry job market is taking individuals who have not been trained in preventive medicine; another reason could be that for some reason specialists in the field of preventive medicine may feel that board-certification is not necessary for their career goals. This issue raises many questions about the importance of academic training in preventive medicine. It also points to the importance of addressing mid-career training needs on the part of those self-designated specialists. The question of financing must be addressed as well. Efforts must be developed to assure that the preventive field is reimbursed by major third-party payors, Medicare and Medicaid. Perhaps through these reimbursement mechanisms a way could be found to provide, at least in part, resident stipends. In addition, other mechanisms must be developed to provide support for residents in training in preventive medicine. If as a people we are to fulfill our potential of healthiness and achieve the Objective For Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, we must have trained personnel to do the job.     

Competencies for population-based clinical managers: A survey of managed care medical directors

Background: The evolution of American health care into integrated systems of delivery and finance requires a specialized set of population-based skills for physicians. The field of preventive medicine represents one source of this expertise. Specific competencies for the emerging area of managerial medicine have not been well delineated.Methods: Using concept documents from the Residency Review Committee for Preventive Medicine and the American Board of Preventive Medicine, a list of proposed competencies for managerial medicine was identified. Surveys were mailed to medical directors of all members of the American Association of Health Plans and to a random sample of diplomates of the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of these competencies for a population-oriented clinician manager.Results: Areas rated highly by medical directors included health services research (including outcomes research), quality assurance and improvement, health risk assessment and reduction, programmatic skills, and clinical preventive skills. Responses from preventive medicine specialists were similar, but placed lower emphasis on these skills.Conclusion: Despite its limited response rate, this survey may be useful in the implementation of specialty training in managerial medicine. Residency training programs may choose to emphasize specific content areas that reflect the priorities expressed by physicians actively involved in management.     

Expected benefits of streamlining undergraduate medical education by early commitment to specific medical specialties

Undergraduate medical education is too long; it does not meet the needs for physicians’ workforce; and its content is inconsistent with the job characteristics of some of its graduates. In this paper we attempt to respond to these problems by streamlining medical education along the following three reforms. First, high school graduates would be eligible for undergraduate medical education programs of 4 years duration. Second, medical school applicants would be required to commit themselves to a medical specialty and choose one of four undergraduate paths: (1) “Interventions/consultations” path that would prepare its graduates for residencies in secondary and tertiary specialties, such as cardiology and surgery, (2) “continuous patient care” path for primary care specialties, such as family medicine and psychiatry, (3) “diagnostic laboratory medicine and biomedical research” path that would prepare for either laboratory-based careers, such as pathology, biochemistry and bacteriology, or research in e.g., immunology and molecular genetics, and (4) “epidemiology and public health” path that would include population-based research, preventive medicine and health care administration. Third, the content of each of these paths would focus on relevant learning outcomes, and medical school graduates would be eligible for residency training only in specialties included in their path. Hopefully, an early commitment to a medical specialty will reduce the duration of medical education, improve the regulation of physicians’ workforce and adapt the curricular content to the future job requirements from medical school graduates.     

Elaboración de una herramienta para la vigilancia de indicadores de calidad de la docencia en la formación especializada de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública

This study describes the process of developing an instrument intended for use in assessing satisfaction with the quality of training in preventive medicine and public health for resident physicians. To develop this instrument, the National Survey of Satisfaction with Medical Residency was adapted by an expert panel consisting of 23 resident physicians in preventive medicine and public health belonging to 9 autonomous communities in Spain. The adaptation of the survey to the specialty rotations included new dimensions and items and was evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale. The most important dimensions were planning and the achievement of specific objectives, supervision, delegation of responsibilities, resources and work environment, personal assessment, encouragement, support, and whether the rotation resulted in a publication or research project, etc. The development and utilization of this tool will enable future trainees in preventive medicine and public health to make an informed choice about their training itineraries.     

Experiences with a combined residency in internal and preventive medicine

BACKGROUND: The importance of integrating preventive medicine training into other residency programs was reinforced recently by the residency review committee for preventive medicine. Griffin Hospital in Derby CT has offered a 4-year integrated internal medicine and preventive medicine residency program since 1997. This article reports the outcomes of that program. METHODS: Data were collected from surveys of program graduates and the American Boards of Internal and Preventive Medicine in 2005-2007, and analyzed in 2007-2008. Graduates rated the program in regard to job preparation, the ease of transition to employment, the value of skills learned, the perceived quality of board preparation, and the quality of the program overall. Graduates rated themselves on core competencies set by the Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical Education. RESULTS: Since 1997, the program has enrolled 22 residents. Residents and graduates contribute significantly toward quality of care at the hospital. Graduates take and pass at high rates the boards for both for internal and preventive medicine: 100% took internal medicine boards, 90% of them passed; 63% took preventive medicine boards, 100% of them passed). The program has recruited residents mainly through the match. Graduates rated most elements of the program highly. They felt well-prepared for their postgraduation jobs; most respondents reported routinely using preventive medicine skills learned during residency. Graduates either have gone into academic medicine (31%); public health (14%); clinical fellowships (18%); or primary care (9%); or they combine elements of clinical medicine and public health (28%). CONCLUSIONS: Integrating preventive medicine training into clinical residency programs may be an efficient, viable, and cost-effective way of creating more medical specialists with population-medicine skills.     

Training of aerospace medicine physicians

In the U. S. there are 23 recognized medical specialty boards. One of these is preventive medicine. Within preventive medicine there are three areas: Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health/General Preventive Medicine. The preventive medicine specialties have a common core of required training including biostatistics, epidemiology, health services administration and environmental health. These, plus associated topics are covered during year one of training. Year two of training involves clinical rotations specifically tailored to the eye, ear, heart, lungs and brain, plus flight training to the private pilot level, and a Masters Degree research project for the required thesis. During year three the physicians in aerospace medicine practice full-time aerospace medicine in a NASA or other government laboratory or a private facility. To date, more than 40 physicians have received aerospace medicine training through the Wright State University School of Medicine program. Among these are physicians from Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Canada and Mexico. In addition to the civilian program at Wright State University, there are programs conducted by the U. S. Air Force and Navy. The Wright State program has been privileged to have officers from the U. S. Army, Navy and Air Force. A substantial supporter of the Wright State program is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and a strong space component is contained in the program.     

Education of preventive medicine residents: alcohol,tobacco, and other drug abuse

BACKGROUND: Generalist physicians' addiction training is inadequate, but general preventive medicine residency (PMR) programs have not been studied. We determined PMR programs' alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse (ATOD) training from 1995 to 2000 and identified barriers to this education. METHODS: Interviewer-administered telephone survey of program directors (PDs) of accredited PMR programs in the United States. RESULTS: We interviewed all 41 PMR PDs. While 78% of PMR PDs reported interest in increasing ATOD education, for 68% it was not a high educational priority. Tobacco ranked in the top third of preventive medicine topics by 58%, while alcohol and other drugs ranked in the bottom third by 48% and 52%, respectively. Twenty-two percent of programs required a clinical ATOD rotation, most commonly smoking-cessation clinics. Only 29% of PMR PDs felt that residents were well prepared in clinical aspects of ATOD, while 60% felt that residents were prepared in ATOD research and public health issues. The most commonly reported barriers to ATOD training were lack of resident interest and defined competencies (64% each); limited faculty time (59%); limited teaching time (54%); lack of available teaching materials (53%); and lack of faculty expertise (51%). CONCLUSIONS: While the majority of PMR PDs recognize the importance of incorporating teaching about addictions into training, much of the ATOD education in PMRs focuses on tobacco alone. Setting educational standards, defining competencies, investing in faculty development, and creating ATOD curricular modules are important next steps toward preparing preventive medicine physicians to effectively reduce the public health toll of addictions.     

Residency Training in Preventive Medicine

In responding to questionnaires, directors of 37 of the 49 approved residency programs in preventive medicine (excluding aerospace medicine) reported that 285 physicians had entered such training in the academic years, 1960 to 1968. Of these, 92% proceeded into the second year, but only 45% continued into the third. Gainful employment, military service, and residency programs in other specialties were major avenues of loss. The chief difficulty in recruitment appeared to be lack of teaching and indoctrination in preventive medicine during medical school. The greatest monetary difficulties were related to instability of governmental funding and the fact that residents in preventive medicine usually do not fulfill a “service function” in academic settings. A significant number of full-time faculty positions in departments of preventive medicine are vacant. Respondents provided a number of suggestions for improvement.     

The postgraduate education of physicians in preventive medicine

The Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee report projected a serious shortage of preventive medicine specialists in 1990, and the recommendations of a recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges called for increased training of medical students in health promotion and disease prevention and in adapting to changes in health and health care. To help meet the need for physician manpower in preventive medicine a new residency was established at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in July 1983. The program features a structured approach to the practicum year, incorporating an organized core curriculum and opportunities for a varied field experience. In addition to the School of Medicine and University Hospital, major training sites include two large county health departments on Long Island, three community hospital departments of community medicine, a health maintenance organization as well as several neighborhood health centers, and community-based programs operated by these hospitals and health departments. The curriculum includes both longitudinal experiences at the medical school involving teaching, research, and didactic conferences, and block field rotations within the above affiliated agencies, providing practice experience in preventive medicine and public health. The diversity in the organization and type of preventive medicine institutions used for training enriches the residency experience and is complemented by core educational activities.     

Preventive and other interactional skills of general practitioners, surgeons, and physicians: perceived competence and endorsement of postgraduate training

BACKGROUND: Perceived competencies and support for formal postgraduate training across a range of preventive and other interactional skills were examined in three medical groups. METHODS: All eligible final year students and recent graduates of the three major Australian medical colleges (n = 767) were mailed a questionnaire examining communication skills in four domains: preventive, educational, therapeutic, and general. RESULTS: Overall consent rate was 45%. For most items, at least one-third of each group reported low competence. On preventive items, low competence ratings ranged from 5 to 39% in general practice, 38 to 67% in surgery, and 33 to 51% in the speciality physician group. Significant intergroup differences occurred on eight competence items. Agreement with training on preventive topics ranged from 80 to 91% in general practice, 48 to 69% in surgery, and 72 to 82% in the specialty physician group. On all 11 training items where significant differences occurred, the general practice group reported the highest level and the surgeon group the lowest level of endorsement for formal training and assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial proportions in the general practice, surgery, and the physician specialty report lack of competence in common interactional skills. There were high levels of support for formal training in preventive and other interactional skills. The strong endorsement supports the development of effective, tailored interactional skills training programs.     

Factors related to the choice of family medicine: a reassessment and literature review

BACKGROUND: Recent decreases in the number of students entering family medicine has prompted reconsideration of what is known about the factors affecting specialty choice. METHODS: Thirty-six articles on family medicine specialty choice published since 1993 were reviewed and rated for quality. RESULTS: Rural background related positively and parents' socioeconomic status relates negatively to choice of family medicine. Career intentions at entry to medical school predict specialty choice. Students who believe primary care is important, have low income expectations, and do not plan a research career are more likely to choose family medicine. The school characteristic related to choice of family medicine is public ownership. Large programs to increase numbers entering primary care seem effective. Required family medicine time in clinical years is related to higher numbers selecting family medicine. Faculty role models serve both as positive and negative influences. Students rejecting family medicine are concerned about prestige, low income, and breadth of knowledge required. Students planning on a career in a disadvantaged or rural area are more likely to enter family medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors are consistently shown to be related to the choice of the specialty of family medicine.     

Preventive medicine residents: a national survey.

Little is known about those physicians who pursue graduate medical education in preventive medicine, including aerospace medicine, general preventive medicine and public health, and occupational medicine. We surveyed resident physicians about their academic background, financial environment, clinical activities, and professional goals. A total of 147 residents (30%) responded from a population of 498 residents. The data suggest a lack of available information about preventive medicine training and careers among medical students who subsequently pursue such training. Their economic environment is extremely diverse, with a wide range of salary, "moonlighting" hours, educational loans, and service obligations. Although the median annual salary ($24,700) is similar to the national average resident salary, 32% of respondents earned less than $20,000, and 95% have educational debts averaging $30,900. Sixty-two percent of respondents perform clinical work in their residency, whereas 76% desire future clinical work as part of their practice. This gap is most pronounced in general preventive medicine and public health. The residents express a wide range of interests in future practice of preventive medicine; 54% are interested in government work, and 33% desire academic careers.     

A plea for an initiative to strengthen family medicine in public health care services of developing countries.

An analysis of standards for the best practice of family medicine in Northern European countries provides a framework for identifying the difficulties and deficiencies in the health services of developing countries, and offers strategies and criteria for improving primary health care practice. Besides well-documented socioeconomic and political problems, poor quality of care is an important factor in the weaknesses of health services. In particular, a patient-centered perspective in primary care practice is barely reflected in the medical curriculum of developing countries. Instead, public sector general practitioners are required to concentrate on preventive programs that tackle a few well-defined diseases and that tend to be dominated by quantitative objectives, at the expense of individually tailored prevention and treatment. Reasons for this include training oriented to hospital medicine and aspects of GPs' social status and health care organization that have undermined motivation and restricted change. A range of strategies is urgently required, including training to improve both clinical skills and aspects of the doctor-patient interaction. More effective government health policies are also needed. Co-operation agencies can contribute by granting political protection to public health centers and working to orient the care delivered at this level toward patient-centered medicine.     

Are public health physicians fading out of management?

BACKGROUND: Recent developments in health services in the local arena in Norway have challenged the theoretical and applied scientific basis for both public health medicine and management. During the 1990s although public health physicians in Norway increased in number, they worked less with public health, as well as public health management. The effects of these developments on public health management are largely unknown. We studied public health physicians' involvement in management and their self-reported managerial competence. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of physicians working in local public health medicine in all Norwegian municipalities, using a mail-back questionnaire. RESULTS: Public health physicians reduced their administrative tasks and evaluated their own managerial competence rather conservatively and somewhat lower in 1999 than in 1994. Many had supplementary training in management in addition to their medical education and specialty training. CONCLUSIONS: Public health physicians may be fading out of management. To address this there is a need for development of both public health management training programmes and provision of adequate resources for managerial activities.     

Planificación y formación de profesionales sanitarios,con foco en la atención primaria. Informe SESPAS 2012

The present article provides an overview of workforce planning for health professionals in Spain, with emphasis on physicians and primary care. We analyze trends, describe threats and make some suggestions. In Spain some structural imbalances remain endemic, such as the low number of nurses with respect to physicians, which may become a barrier to needed reforms. The new medical degree, with the rank of master, will not involve major changes to training. Nursing, which will require a university degree, leaves a gap that will be filled by nursing assistants.This domino effect ends in family medicine, which has no upgrading potential. Hence reasonable objectives for the system are to prioritize the post-specialization training of family physicians, enhance their research capacity and define a career that does not equate productivity with seniority. What is undergoing a crisis of identity and prestige is family medicine, not primary care. There is a risk that the specialty of family medicine will lose rank after the specialty of emergency medicine is approved. Today, about 40% of emergency physicians in the public network are specialists, most of them in family medicine. In 2010 a new fact emerged: an elite of foreign doctors obtained positions as resident medical interns in highly sought-after specialties through the national competitive examination. This phenomenon should be closely monitored and requires Spain to define the pattern of internationalization of health professionals in a clear and precise model.     

Health workforce planning and training, with emphasis on primary care. SESPAS Report 2012

The present article provides an overview of workforce planning for health professionals in Spain, with emphasis on physicians and primary care. We analyze trends, describe threats and make some suggestions. In Spain some structural imbalances remain endemic, such as the low number of nurses with respect to physicians, which may become a barrier to needed reforms. The new medical degree, with the rank of master, will not involve major changes to training. Nursing, which will require a university degree, leaves a gap that will be filled by nursing assistants.This domino effect ends in family medicine, which has no upgrading potential. Hence reasonable objectives for the system are to prioritize the post-specialization training of family physicians, enhance their research capacity and define a career that does not equate productivity with seniority. What is undergoing a crisis of identity and prestige is family medicine, not primary care. There is a risk that the specialty of family medicine will lose rank after the specialty of emergency medicine is approved. Today, about 40% of emergency physicians in the public network are specialists, most of them in family medicine. In 2010 a new fact emerged: an elite of foreign doctors obtained positions as resident medical interns in highly sought-after specialties through the national competitive examination. This phenomenon should be closely monitored and requires Spain to define the pattern of internationalization of health professionals in a clear and precise model.