Context: The contribution that international medical graduates (IMGs) make to reducing the rural-urban maldistribution of physicians in the United States is unclear. Quantifying the extent of such "gap filling" has significant implications for planning IMG workforce needs as well as other state and federal initiatives to increase the numbers of…

This article presents a model for action research in family practice. It reviews three research projects used by the authors over the past decade. Drawing on learning from each, the article discusses a model for undertaking ongoing, embedded action research in organisational settings. The contribution that action methods can make to the…

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expected to increase in prevalence in the coming decades. The evolving nature of COPD outcome assessment and therapies, as well as the increasing societal burden of COPD, have created a significant challenge for primary-care physicians. As a result, a continuing medical education/continuing education…

This paper presents the results of research into GP perceptions of the impact of on-site counselling on general practice. The research is part of a larger evaluation of a local enhanced primary care mental service. The initial survey and in-depth interviews with GPs reported here focused on the pre-existing counselling service. The results suggest…

Context: It has long been a concern that professional liability problems disproportionately affect the delivery of obstetrical services to women living in rural areas. Michigan, a state with a large number of rural communities, is considered to be at risk for a medical liability crisis. Purpose: This study examined whether higher malpractice…

Background: This research identifies factors affecting why some adults with intellectual disability (AWIDs) consult their general practitioner (GP) more than others. Little is known about these factors, despite AWIDs having higher health needs and reduced longevity. Current barriers to accessing health care need to be understood and overcome to…

Context: Scope of practice is an important factor in both training and recruiting rural family physicians. Purpose: To assess rural Idaho family physicians' scope of practice and to examine variations in scope of practice across variables such as gender, age and employment status. Methods: A survey instrument was developed based on a literature…

To investigate the reliability and feasibility of six potential workplace-based assessment methods in general practice training: criterion audit, multi-source feedback from clinical and non-clinical colleagues, patient feedback (the CARE Measure), referral letters, significant event analysis, and video analysis of consultations. Performance of GP…

We aimed to determine the violence against general practitioners (GPs) through their suggestions on its cause and prevention. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study based on self-administered questionnaire answered by a convenience study population consisting of 522 GPs between November and December 2006. Of the participating GPs, 82.8%…

In this study, we examined the implementation of an electronic health records (EHR) system in a small family practice clinic. We used three data collection instruments to evaluate user experience, work pattern changes, and organisational changes related to the implementation and use of the EHR system: (1) an EHR user survey, (2) interviews with…

Patient education in asthma management is important; however, there is little known about the characteristics of patients receiving asthma education or how often primary care physicians provide it. The objective of the study was to identify the characteristics of patients receiving asthma education. It was a cross-sectional study using 2001…

Purpose: Self-declaration of personal values has been suggested as a means of identifying students with greater predilection for future primary care careers. While statistically significant differences have been demonstrated, absolute differences between those interested in primary care and those interested in specialist careers tend to be small.…

Context: Rural areas have fewer physicians compared to urban areas, and rural emergency departments often rely on community or contracted providers for staffing. The emergency department workforce is composed of a variety of physician specialties and clinicians. Purpose: To determine the distribution of emergency department clinicians and the…

Context: Low salaries and difficult work conditions are perceived as a major barrier to the recruitment of primary care physicians to rural settings. Purpose: To examine rural-urban differences in physician work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, and to determine whether, after adjusting for any observed differences,…

Objective: A unique rotation was developed to address limited outpatient internal medicine training in psychiatric residency by the University of California, Davis, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, which provides medical care to patients with mental illness. Methods: The number of patients seen by the service and the number of…