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PubMedDate not supplied

Use of alternative health care by family practice patients.

In recent years, the use of alternative medicine has become more acknowledged in the United States. Many different practices are encompassed by the terms alternative, unorthodox, or complementary medicine, and their use by the population is just now being defined. The number of established family practice patients also using alternative medicine is not yet known. To help answer this question, a survey of family practice patients concerning their use of alternative medicine was performed in 4 family practices in a large community in the western United States. Volunteers from the survey respondents attended a focus group to discuss more fully their use of alternative medicine. Questionnaires were completed by 113 family practice patients. Fifty percent (57/113) of patients had or were using some form of alternative medicine, but only 53% (30/57) had told their family physician about this use. No significant difference in the percentage who used alternative medicine or who told their physician about it was attributable to gender, educational level, age, race, or clinic attended. The main reason given for using alternative medicine, alone or in combination with care from a family physician, was a belief that it would work. Many of those who worked in combination with a family physician spoke of acceptance and control, but those who did not work with their physician mentioned traditional medicine's limitations and narrow-mindedness. Family physicians need to be aware that many of their patients may be using alternative health care. Open and nonjudgmental questioning of patients may help increase physician knowledge of this use and lead to improved patient care as physicians and patients work together toward health.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Personality types of family practice residents as measured by the Myers-Briggs type indicator.

This study was initiated to test the hypothesis that individuals currently choosing family practice as a career are likely to have different personality types than those who previously pursued general practice. Incoming residents to the University of Utah Family Practice Residency Program were compared to a group of private primary care physicians serving rural areas. Personality types were determined by administering the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to both groups. Results showed that the current resident group differed significantly from the primary care physician group and that the residents' personality types were similar to personality types of faculty in other studies. This raises the concern that many family practice residents may not choose to practice in underserved areas. Further studies need to follow personality types through medical school and residency training and into practice to help determine which prospective physicians are likely to choose a primary care career and a rural practice. This information may be useful in health manpower planning and in examining admissions policies of medical schools and residencies.

Family Practice↗

PubMed2003

Documenting procedures and deliveries during family practice residency: a survey of graduates' experiences, preferences, and recommendations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The University of Washington Family Practice Residency Network (UW Network) is in the process of implementing a Palm Pilot-based procedure and delivery documentation system throughout 16 residency programs. Our study examined the experiences of past UW Network graduates in obtaining hospital privileges and in documenting procedures and deliveries. METHODS: A survey was mailed to 201 1999 and 2000 UW Network graduates, asking them questions about their experiences obtaining hospital privileges after graduation and documenting procedures and deliveries during their training. RESULTS: A total of 124 surveys (62% response rate) were analyzed. Ninety-four percent of the respondents had applied for hospital privileges, and 84% received all the privileges they requested. Forty-four percent indicated they had to provide some written documentation to get hospital privileges, but only 7% had to provide more than a numeric total of procedures or deliveries. Respondents predominantly used log cards and Palm Pilots for data collection. Palm Pilots were preferred over log cards, and the Palm Pilot systems received higher satisfaction ratings. CONCLUSIONS: For the majority of graduates, detailed delivery and procedure information was not necessary to obtain hospital privileges. Nevertheless, there are other reasons to document training experiences, and graduates strongly advise family practice residents to record their procedure and delivery experiences. Family practice residency programs should consider giving house staff handheld computers to record the procedures they perform.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

The results of 20 years of family practice residency training at the University of Louisville.

In response to shortages of generalist physicians, especially in rural areas, family practice residency programs were established at both of Kentucky's medical schools. In 1972 a family practice residency program became operational at the University of Louisville. A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of this program. We were especially interested in those factors that were associated with a physician's choice to practice in rural or urban medically underserved areas. The records of the 100 program graduates were reviewed to determine the physician's gender, ethnic background, hometown, and current practice location. A questionnaire was mailed to program graduates to obtain additional information about factors that influence physician practice location. For the purpose of this study, "rural" was defined as a community of less than 25,000. Sixty-eight of the program's 100 graduates currently practice in Kentucky. Forty-nine graduates serve patients in rural or medically underserved urban areas, and of those, 31 are located in Kentucky. Whites and those from rural hometowns were more likely to practice in rural communities than minorities or those from urban hometowns. However, minorities were more likely than whites to practice in medically underserved urban areas. No association was found between gender and practice location. Initial interest in rural practice and participation in financial aid programs requiring service in a rural area were associated with rural practice location, but participation in rural rotations at the predoctoral or residency training level were not. We conclude that the family practice training program at the University of Louisville has been successful in training generalist physicians to serve rural and medically underserved urban populations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Family Practice↗

PubMed2000

Multicultural curricula in family practice residencies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 1985, results from a national survey indicated that 25% of family practice residencies taught about multicultural issues in their programs. Our current study identified the current status and content of the curricula and determined facilitating and impeding factors to multicultural curricula. METHODS: In 1998, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine's Group on Multicultural Health Care and Education conducted a cross-sectional mail survey of all 476 family practice residency programs. RESULTS: With a 59% response rate, 58% of responding programs have an informal curriculum on multicultural issues, 28% have a formal curriculum, and 14% have no curriculum. Programs with a formal curriculum teach more content, employ more educational methods, use more evaluation techniques, and feel more successful than programs with an informal curriculum. Important factors that facilitate curricula include cultural diversity of communities and residents, multicultural interests of faculty and residents, and faculty's multicultural expertise. Factors that impede curricula include lack of time, money, resources, faculty expertise, and cultural diversity in the community. Programs with formal, informal, and no curriculum identify different facilitators and impediments. CONCLUSION: There was a marked increase in the prevalence of multicultural curricula in family practice residencies from 1985 to 1998.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2000

Rejecting family practice: why medical students switch to other specialties.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Medical schools have been encouraged to increase the number of primary care graduates. This study determined the proportion of medical students who change specialty preference during the clinical years and explored how ultimate choice is affected by perceptions of medical specialties acquired during this period. METHODS: A survey was mailed to 397 graduating medical students at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) after the National Resident Matching Program Match and before graduation in 1996, 1997, and 1998. RESULTS: The response rate was 81% (320/397). Of 41 respondents who reported that family practice had been their first specialty choice prior to beginning clinical rotations, only 15 (37%) eventually matched in family practice. Comparable numbers for internal medicine and pediatrics were 50% and 69%. Students rejecting family practice were more likely than their colleagues rejecting other specialties to cite insufficient prestige, low intellectual content, and concern about mastering too broad a content area as reasons. CONCLUSIONS: At UCSF, family practice retains fewer interested students than other primary care specialties. To reverse this trend, schools such as UCSF need to raise the prestige of family practice and counter concerns about its intellectual content being impossible to master.

Adult↗

PubMed1979