Effects of residency training in family medicine v. internship training on professional attitudes and practice patterns.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the professional attitudes and practice patterns of physicians with residency training in family medicine differ from those of generalists with internship training. DESIGN: Mail survey conducted in 1985-86. SETTING: Province of Quebec. PARTICIPANTS: A stratified random sample of French-speaking family and general practitioners who graduated after 1972 (325 physicians with residency training and 304 with internship training) (response rate 82%). MAIN RESULTS: Physicians with residency training were 3 years younger on average than those with internship training, were more likely to be female (38% v. 18%, p less than 0.001) and were more likely to work on a salaried basis in CLSCs (public community health centres) (36% v. 14%, p less than 0.001). Even after these confounding factors were controlled for, physicians with residency training seemed to be more sensitive to the psychosocial aspects of patient care and tended to attach more importance to informing patients about useful materials and resources concerning their health problems. They were not, however, more likely to value health counselling or integrate it in medical practice. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide some evidence that the new requirement that physicians complete a residency in family medicine to obtain medical licensure in general practice in Quebec may foster a more patient-centred approach to health care.     

Surgical care in rural Canada: training and planning for the future.

The survey results reported by Chiasson and Roy in this issue (see pages 1447 to 1452) document a growing problem with the provision of surgical services in rural western Canada. Recognizing the need to improve access to surgical services in rural communities, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada have proposed guidelines for training family physicians in resuscitative and surgical techniques as well as in the safe transfer of seriously ill patients to specialized facilities. It is hoped that these guidelines will provide the basis of a national policy for general-practice training that will improve the standard of surgical care in rural communities.     

Pediatric resident staff follow-up, 1958 to 1972: their present place of practice and activities.

Of 174 medical graduates who had undertaken residency training in pediatrics at the Health Centre for Children, Vancouver between 1958 and 1972, 156 replied to a questionnaire designed to determine their present activity. Excluding those still in training 58.4% are currently practising pediatrics, 28% are in family practice and 12.8% are in other areas of professional activity; 49% obtained a specialty degree in pediatrics and 5.4% obtained certification of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in another specialty. Of the total, 69% have remaind in Canada; of the Canadian graduates 83% have remained in this country, compared with 63.8% of graduates from other countries. Estimation of pediatric manpower requirements should take into account the anticipated increase in population, the pediatrician attrition rate, the contribution one province may provide for the rest of the country, and the fact that only approximately 60% of pediatric trainees will ultimately practise this specialty.     

Effect of student loan indebtedness and repayment on resident physicians' cash flow. An analytic model

Cumulative figures of "average medical student indebtedness," although meaningful, do not convey the effect of loan repayments on residents' cash flow, effect on a resident's value system and residency performance, and effect on trends in health care manpower allocation. Using a computer-based cash flow model, a "typical" house officer with $20,000 in undergraduate indebtedness who is training in a less expensive city will realize a $2390 deficit during internship and negative cash flow throughout a 5-year residency. House officers with extreme indebtedness (greater than $80,000) who are training in an expensive metropolitan area would accumulate an overall deficit approaching $75,000 or more, in excess of their undergraduate indebtedness, during a 5-year residency program. Effects of these findings on residency education and health care manpower issues, along with potential solutions for alleviating residents' cash flow problems, are discussed.     

A gender-based study of attitudes and practice characteristics of rural physicians in West Virginia

Physician gender can affect the numbers of future rural health care providers since female physicians are less likely to enter rural practice, but the proportion of female U.S. medical students is increasing. This survey study of rural West Virginia physicians who were trained in the U.S. obtained information on demographics and prior practice intent, working time, practice characteristics, and satisfaction with practice and community for female vs. male physicians. Female physicians were more likely to report pre-existing intent to work in underserved areas and having higher proportions of Medicaid and uninsured patients, but fewer work hours and on-call services and less likelihood of providing hospital services. Initiatives to help address the shortage of rural providers could include residency program and community initiatives to address work flexibility and personal and spouse concerns for female physicians.     

Quality of care in family practice: does residency training make a difference?

As the proportion of physicians who enter residency training in family practice steadily increases, so does the need to evaluate the impact of their training and postgraduate education on the quality of care in their practices. We audited the practices of 120 randomly selected family physicians in Ontario, who were separated into four groups: nonmembers of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), members of the CFPC with no certification in family medicine, certificated members without residency training in family medicine and certificated members with residency training in family medicine. The practices were assessed according to predetermined criteria for charting, procedures in periodic health examination, quality of medical care and use of indicator drugs. Generally the scores were significantly higher for CFPC members with residency training in family medicine than for those in the other groups, nonmembers having the lowest scores. Patient questionnaires indicated no difference in satisfaction with specific aspects of care between the four groups. Self-selection into residency training and CFPC membership may account for some of the results; nevertheless, the findings support the contention that residency training in family medicine should be mandatory for family physicians.     

The relation between personal characteristics of physicians and practice location in Manitoba.

A questionnaire survey of 562 physicians in Manitoba who had graduated from the University of Manitoba was carried out to assess the effect of personal characteristics on choosing a practice location. The results closely resemble those of studies performed in the United States: the choice of a nonurban practice location is significantly more likely if the physicians and their spouses have nonurban backgrounds and if the physicians have had a nonurban preceptorship during undergraduate medical education. In this study practitioners who were male and whose fathers were farmers or health care professionals were also more likely to practise in nonurban areas. These findings will help in making physician distribution more equitable.     

Career changes among Saskatchewan physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how often Saskatchewan physicians changed career paths during medical training and practice. DESIGN: Population survey (mailed questionnaire). SETTING: Saskatchewan. PARTICIPANTS: All 1077 active members of the Saskatchewan Medical Association were sent a questionnaire; 493 (45.8%) responded. OUTCOME MEASURES: Long-term career goal or plan in next-to-last year of undergraduate medical school, probable choice of career if forced to choose at that time, and number of physicians who changed their field of training or practice at any time since graduation. RESULTS: In all, 57.8% (237/410) of the respondents were currently practising in a field different from that planned in their next-to-last year of medical school, 63.5% (275/436) were not practising in the field they would have chosen if forced to at that time, and 42.9% (211/492) had changed their field of training or practice at some time since graduation. Older physicians, those who graduated outside of Canada and specialists were the most likely to have changed career paths, family physicians, and those who graduated in Saskatchewan were the least likely to have changed. CONCLUSION: The current system of postgraduate training in Canada does not permit career changes of the sort made by most of the practising Saskatchewan physicians in the survey sample. The implications of this new system are as yet unknown but require careful monitoring.     

Time trends in the association of a rural or urban background with physician location.

The association of rural or urban background with choice of practice location was investigated in two time periods, 1950--1955 and 1963--1968, using the alumni of Marquette School of Medicine (now the Medical College of Wisconsin) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Background included size of communities of birth, high school, college, and internship. Small communities were screened to distinguish suburban from rural settings. It was found that in the 1950s the percentage of physicians from rural schools who chose to practice in rural areas was 2.2 times as great as this percentage for physicians from nonrural high schools (26 percent versus 12 percent). In the 1960s the ratio increased to 3.5, (35 percent versus 10 percent). This time trend was reversed for physicians more than 28 years old at the time of graduation from medical school. Place of birth and place of internship also were significantly associated with practice location; place of college showed a significant association with practice location only in the 1950s; and class rank was not associated with place of practice.     

Tailoring family medicine residency programs to meet community needs

This paper describes how members of the Department of Family Medicine of the University of Ottawa developed lists of problems and procedures common and important in family practice in Canada and, on the basis of these lists, drew up guidelines for content in the 2-year residency program for family medicine. A computerized data retrieval system is used to monitor every resident's practice to ensure that he or she gains appropriate exposure to common problems and procedures.     

Hospital interns' and residents' perceptions of rural training and practice in Victoria

OBJECTIVE: To examine the attitudes of junior hospital doctors toward rural training and practice in Victoria. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional survey of 300 randomly selected Victorian hospital interns, junior and senior resident medical officers was undertaken in 1988 using a mailed self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed after a literature review, interviews and pilot testing and consisted of categorical and non-categorical items. STATISTICAL METHODS: Responses to the questionnaire were subjected to univariate, bivariate and factor analysis of variables. Testing for differences between those doctors choosing to train and work in rural areas and those choosing metropolitan areas was carried out by chi 2 test for discrete variables and Student's t test for means. RESULTS: A 64% response rate was achieved (n = 192). Only 15% indicated a preference for rural training the following year. Those from a rural background were more likely to express intention to train and practise in the country (P less than 0.05). The most important determinants in choosing a rural training post to emerge on factor analysis were the perceived quality of education and training facilities and the view of the doctors' partners or spouses. The decision to practise in the country was more likely to be influenced by "family" than "professional" factors (P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: Perceptions regarding the academic status of rural hospitals as well as failure to address the needs of doctors' spouses or partners were major deterrents to rural training. These areas need to be addressed if the shortage of rural practitioners is to be reversed.     

Labrador program prepares MDs for northern, remote practice

Across Canada, residency programs are attempting to train more physicians to practise in rural and remote areas. The Northern Family Education Program developed in Newfoundland and Labrador is proving that physicians can learn to like life in remote areas.     

Profile of Canadian physicians: results of the 1990 Physician Resource Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the supply, mix and distribution of physicians in Canada and to compare data with those of the 1982 and 1986 physician surveys. DESIGN: National census mail survey. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: All physicians licensed to practise medicine in Canada, excluding interns and residents. A total of 52,422 questionnaires were mailed, of which 771 were ineligible. There were 38,313 valid responses (response rate 74.2%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Activity status, workload, specialty certification, practice setting and demographic profiles. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 88.7% of the respondents were active physicians; 19.4% were women, compared with 16.8% in 1986. Physicians reported working on average 4.1 fewer hours per week in total activities than in 1986 and 5.7 fewer hours per week than in 1982. As was found in 1982, about 50% of active physicians were certified specialists; 30% of specialists and 21% of general/family practitioners were 55 years of age or more. Approximately 11% of active physicians were in rural practice, as was reported in 1986. Similar proportions of foreign graduates and Canadian graduates were located in rural areas (10.9% and 11.4% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Factors such as aging and retirement will affect specific specialty groups (e.g., general surgery and obstetrics/gynecology) in the near future. Specialty groups must address the issue of the future supply of physicians and the demand for their services when developing targeted needs within their specialties. The increasing proportion of women in medicine is changing the specialty mix and practice profiles of physicians as a whole. The issues associated with the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural areas remain complex.     

Factors influencing the emigration of physicians from Canada to the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether location of postgraduate medical training and other factors are associated with the emigration of physicians from Canada to the United States. DESIGN: Case-control study, physicians were surveyed with the use of a questionnaire mailed in May 1994 (with a reminder sent in September 1994), responses to which were accepted until Dec. 31, 1994. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians randomly selected from the CMA database, 4000 with addresses in Canada and 4000 with current addresses in the United States and previous addresses in Canada. OUTCOME MEASURES: Sex, age, location of undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, qualifications, practice location, opinions concerning residence decisions, current satisfaction and plans. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 49.6% (50.0% among physicians in the United States and 49.2% among those in Canada). Age and sex distributions were similar among the 8000 questionnaire recipients and the nearly 4000 respondents. Physicians living in the United States were more likely to be older (mean 53.2 v. 49.6 years of age), male (87% v. 75%) and specialists (79% v. 52%) than those practising in Canada. Postgraduate training in the United States was associated with subsequent emigration (odds ratio 9.2, 95% confidence interval 7.8 to 10.7). However, in rating the importance of nine factors in the decision to emigrate or remain in Canada, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the rating assigned to location of postgraduate training. Professional factors rated most important by most physicians in both groups were professional/clinical autonomy, availability of medical facilities and job availability. Remuneration was considered an equally important factor by those in Canada and in the United States. Six of seven personal/family factors were rated as more important to their choice of practice location by respondents in Canada than by those in the United States. Current satisfaction was significantly higher among respondents in the United States. Most physicians in each group planned to continue practising at their current location. Of Canadian respondents, 22% indicated that they were more likely to move to the United States than they were a year beforehand, whereas 4% of US respondents indicated that they were more likely to return to Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Factors affecting the decision to move to the United States or remain in Canada can be categorized as "push" factors (e.g., government involvement) and "pull" factors (e.g., better geographic climate in the US). Factors can also be categorized by whether they are amenable to change (e.g., availability of medical facilities) or cannot be managed (e.g., proximity of relatives). An understanding of the reasons why physicians immigrate to the United States or remain in Canada is essential to planning physician resources nationally.     

Management of the early and late presentations of rheumatoid arthritis: a survey of Ontario primary care physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To examine primary care physicians' management of rheumatoid arthritis, ascertain the determinants of management and compare management with that recommended by a current practice panel. DESIGN: Mail survey (self-administered questionnaire). SETTING: Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: A stratified computer-generated random sample of 798 members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportions of respondents who chose various items in the management of two hypothetical patients, one with early rheumatoid arthritis and one with late rheumatoid arthritis. Scores for investigations, interventions and referrals for each scenario were generated by summing the recommended items chosen by respondents and then dividing by the total number of items recommended in that category. The scores were examined for their association with physician and practice characteristics and physician attitudes. RESULTS: The response rate was 68.3% (529/775 eligible physicians). Recommended investigations were chosen by more than two thirds of the respondents for both scenarios. Referrals to physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rheumatology, all recommended by the panel, were chosen by 206 (38.9%), 72 (13.6%) and 309 (58.4%) physicians respectively for early rheumatoid arthritis. These proportions were significantly higher for late rheumatoid arthritis (p < 0.01). In multiple regression analysis, for early rheumatoid arthritis, internship or residency training in rheumatology was associated with higher investigation and intervention scores, for late rheumatoid arthritis, older physicians had higher intervention scores and female physicians had higher referral scores. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians' investigation of rheumatoid arthritis was in accord with panel recommendations. However, rates of referral to rheumatologists and other health care professionals were very low, especially for the early presentation of rheumatoid arthritis. More exposure to rheumatology and to the role of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and social work during primary care training is strongly recommended.     

Do Canadian female surgeons feel discriminated against as women?

OBJECTIVE: To describe female surgeons' perceptions of discrimination against them as women during the selection and training process and in career development and advancement, and to describe trends over time. DESIGN: Population survey of practising Canadian female surgeons. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: All 459 female members in good standing of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec, or both, practising in Canada as of March 1990. Participants completed a survey between March 1990 and May 1992, the response rate was 91% (419/459). OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported levels of discrimination during selection and training and in career development and advancement, institutional policies on maternity leave and job sharing, and the existence of female role models or mentors. RESULTS: Discrimination during the process of selection for residency was reported by 15% (63/413) of the respondents. Just over half of the respondents (206/405) reported male attending staff as being discriminatory during training, and 41% (168/407) reported nursing staff as being discriminatory. Almost half of the respondents (199/408) indicated that discrimination did not hinder their career development or advancement at all, and 29% (118) indicated that it had little effect. Almost two thirds (245/381) reported no maternity leave policies during residency or practice, and 78% (296/379) reported having no job-sharing opportunities. Although 82% (338/413) agreed that female medical students need female role models, 80% (330/415) reported they did not have a female mentor. CONCLUSIONS: Although most of our respondents perceived no discrimination in their selection for residency and reported that discrimination did not hinder their career development or advancement, the perception of discrimination during surgical training suggests that there needs to be a concentrated effort to identify and address problems. Moreover, since few respondents reported having institutional policies on maternity leave and job-sharing or female mentors, these issues need to be examined.     

毕业学员对复旦大学中山医院全科医师规范化培训的评价调查

目的调查毕业学员对复旦大学附属中山医院全科医师规范化培训工作的评价和建议,为今后培训工作的进一步改进提供参考。方法采用问卷调查方式,对2000年1月至2011年6月在中山医院全科医学科接受规范化培训的毕业学员进行调查。结果共183名毕业学员中,剔除失访及本院工作人员共15人,调查表发放总数为168份,回收有效问卷165份,回收率98％。165人中,将近2／3的学员是在单位指派的同时抱着更新知识结构、提高专业层次的目的前来参加培训的;对培训的期望程度高和很高者占85％,培训结束后个人期望全部达到和大部分达到者占56％。超过68％的学员认为中山医院的培训特色是临床实践锻炼临床能力、教师的教学水平高以及培训提高了大家的理论水平。超过半数以上的学员认为可以学到很多知识、临床轮转带教老师水平高、管理严格是培训的优点。超过84％的学员认为接受培训之后在技能、知识和理念方面收获很大或较大。对中山全科培训计划的总体评价是很好和较好的学员占74％。48％的学员认为培训缺点是社区轮转的社区师资力量比较薄弱,此外缺点还包括部分专科带教老师对学员要求较低,部分理论课内容与社区实际脱节等;认为培训计划最需要改进的是实践安排、缩短规范化培训的总时间、增加科研方面的教学内容等。结论中山医院全科医师规范化培训工作得到肯定,同时也存在一些问题有待改善,以利于今后更加合理规范地开展培训工作,提高培训效果。     

Dispelling the myths about rural consultant physician practice: the Victorian Physicians Survey

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the barriers to practising as a rural consultant physician. DESIGN: Cross-sectional postal survey. PARTICIPANTS: All 981 practising consultant physicians in Victoria, Australia, who were Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1999; 52 (100%) of rural physicians and 634 (68.2%) of metropolitan physicians completed the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and practice characteristics; barriers to rural practice. RESULTS: There were no rural female consultant physicians, and 35 of the 52 rural consultant physicians (67.3%) were born in a rural area. The most important perceived barriers to rural practice identified by both metropolitan and rural physicians were children's schooling (72.2%), spouse's occupation (65.7%), other issues related to children (66.7%) and difficulties getting back into metropolitan practice (45.7%). Among metropolitan physicians, barriers to rural practice differed by age, sex, place of birth and nationality. Returning to metropolitan practice, children and concern over procedures were more likely to be reported as barriers to rural practice among those aged 40 years or under, 41-50 years and 51 years and over, respectively. CONCLUSION: The major barriers to rural practice identified by physicians lie outside the health sector, and particularly concern a perceived need for wider opportunities in children's education and spouse employment.     

国外农村基层医师医学培养项目实施现状、成效及评价的系统综述

背景　2010年我国农村订单定向医学生免费培养工作启动，旨在为农村地区培养具备本科学历的全科医生，缓解农村地区基层医师匮乏的现状。本研究通过系统综述了解国外类似项目的实施现状、成效及评价，为我国农村订单定向医学生培养工作评价和改善提供理论参考。目的　了解国外农村基层医师医学培养项目实施现状、成效及评价指标方法等。方法　2019年2-7月，采用系统综述的方法，以“医学教育”“医学教育+医学本科生”“医学院校教育”“医学生”“住院医师规范化培训”“医学专业+人力资源”“农村地区”“农村基层医疗服务”“医师执业地点”“农村基层医师”“农村基层医师培养”“农村医学实习”“农村临床见习”为检索词，检索Ovid MEDLINE、PubMed、Cochrane及Google Scholar主要英文数据库，获取2000-01-01至2019-01-01发表的关于全球农村基层医师院校教育及住院医师培训等项目的实施现状、成效及评价的英文文献。结果　最终纳入53篇文献，分别来自美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、日本、泰国及南非6个国家，包括20个院校教育项目和6个住院医师培训项目。文献显示各国农村基层医师培养项目均具有指向性招生策略、面向农村卫生和全科医学的临床课程体系、以农村执业的家庭医生为临床导师及农村地区临床实践基地等要素；培养项目学生选择家庭医学为执业专业、农村地区执业率和长期农村保留率均明显高于非培养项目学生，两者国家医疗执照考试成绩和通过率无明显差异。长期农村地区临床实践培训、招生策略倾斜农村成长背景学生及农村执业的家庭医生导师是影响项目最终效果的关键因素。结论　医学教育是解决农村基层医师匮乏的有效途径。国外农村基层医师培养项目的招生策略、临床课程体系设置、导师指导及评价可为我国农村订单定向医学生培养工作提供有益参考。     

Increasing the effectiveness of clinical supervision.

Effective use of preceptors in the clinical training and supervision of residents involves four essential steps: careful screening of the preceptor's practice to ensure it reflects the goals of the residency program and teaching the preceptor about the goals; setting a realistic contract for learning between resident and preceptor; teaching the preceptor to use constructive feedback techniques in the day-to-day supervision of residents; and developing the preceptor's skills in the reliable and valid evaluation of the resident's performance. Clinical preceptors must be trained to become effective teachers and evaluators in residency programs.