Non-Family Medicine Resident Training for Primary Care: A Comparative Evaluation of Federally and Non-Federally Supported Primary Care Oriented Medical Residency Programs

摘要

In the early 1970's the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Federal Government embarked on supporting nonfamily medicine residencies in primary care. A study was undertaken of these first sixteen residencies to determine if (1) there was any significant difference between the Foundation and Federally supported programs, and (2) what conclusions and recommendations could be drawn regarding residency training for primary care. The study utilized detailed questionnaires and site visits to interview approximately 350 individuals involved in the residency programs. The study focused on problems encountered in starting and continuing the programs, the programs' objectives, the kinds of clinical affiliations used, staffing patterns, the background of the residents, the patient population served by the programs, a description of the programs, the kind of patient care and educational activities in which the residents engaged, evaluation of the programs, patterns of funding, and finally what was being done to 'institutionalize' them. In addition to all of the hard data collected and included in the tables and figures, considerable anecdotal evidence was collected which deals with attitudes and perceptions about the programs, the residents, and future plans of the residents in primary care.