Surveyed the use and composition of required procedure lists in U.S. family practice residency programs. Although a majority of respondents reported use of a required procedure list, programs differed greatly in terms of required procedures, and few defined how to evaluate the technical competency of their residents. (EV)

Discusses the trend away from geriatrics training in family medicine residency despite the growing need in society. Asserts that family medicine is failing to seize an opportunity to advance the care of older adults and discusses what would constitute acceptable training in geriatrics and how it should fit into the family medicine curriculum. (EV)

Family medicine faculty participated in focus groups to gather their perceptions about faculty development. They emphasized that faculty development methods must be proven effective, woven into the fabric of clinical practice, and deal with increasing time and financial pressures. Much discussion was related to the need for national and regional…

Summarizes the initial results of the regional geriatric medicine curriculum retreats for family practice residency directors provided as part of the American Academy of Family Physicians multi-part project to improve the amount and quality of geriatric medicine education received by family practice residents. (EV)

Offers a position statement on geriatric education in family practice residency, asserting that limited progress has been made despite an increasing need for such education. Offers seven recommendations, such as: every family practice residency should integrate a variety of training sites into a comprehensive curriculum of geriatric education that…

A survey of family practice residency directors found that 92 percent have a required geriatrics curriculum; nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care are the predominant training sites; the mean number of geriatrics faculty is 2.6 per program; and conflicting time demands with other curricula was ranked as the most significant…

Surveyed departments of family medicine to determine workforce composition and rank of women and minority faculty. Found that while faculty were more likely to be female or minority than in other medical disciplines, women and minorities were less likely to be associate or full professors. Found no institutional or departmental characteristics…

Describes an eight-step process for developing or refining a family-medicine informatics curriculum: needs assessment, review of expert recommendations, enlisting faculty and local institutional support, espousal of a human-centered approach, integrating informatics into the larger curriculum, easy access to computers, practical training, and…

Examined possible predictors of physician nursing home practice including residency experiences. A survey of 170 family physicians found physicians with an active nursing home practice were more likely to reside in a small community, have a hospital practice, see more outpatients, and work more hours but not necessarily residency experience of…

Discusses several articles in this issue that demonstrate the influence of gender and power on family medicine education. These articles show that both clinical and learning environments are influenced by gender and power. Recommends the study of gender and power as an overt component in the family medicine curriculum. (SLD)

Investigated group characteristics associated with authoritative versus collaborative teaching by behavioral science faculty. Faculty used twice as many collaborative as authoritative teaching comments. Males used more authoritative comments than females; first-year and female residents received more teaching than did more-experienced and male…

Describes and evaluates the reflecting team approach with family practice residents to teach interviewing skills, systems-oriented psychosocial interventions, and patient behavioral health consultations. Questionnaire responses of 18 family practice residents participating in a longitudinal behavioral health program at the University of Arizona…

Describes and evaluates a teaching initiative in evidence-based medical care in McGill University's family practice residency program. Discusses results of pre- and post-course self-assessments by students, which indicated significant increases in skill at formulating clinical questions and searching for evidence-based answers, appraising reviews,…

A survey of 298 family-practice residency program directors found an increase in the amount of residency curricular time devoted to training on domestic violence. On average, programs provide four to five hours of training a year, mostly through didactic lectures. (Author/MSE)

Describes a technique designed to assess workforce availability and workload demands on family-medicine faculty at East Carolina University (North Carolina), using weeks per year as the unit of measurement. During the assessment period, a study revealed the department needed 2.8 additional faculty to cover existing work requirements and…