M Patrice Eiff1, Larry A Green, Eric Holmboe, Furman S McDonald, Kathleen Klink, David Gary Smith, Carol Carraccio, Rose Harding, Eve Dexter, Miguel Marino, Sam Jones, Kelly Caverzagie, Mumtaz Mustapha, Patricia A Carney. 1. M.P. Eiff is professor and vice chair, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. L.A. Green is professor of family medicine, Epperson-Zorn Chair for Innovation in Family Medicine and Primary Care, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado. E. Holmboe is senior vice president, Milestone Development and Evaluation, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois. F.S. McDonald is senior vice president, Academic and Medical Affairs, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. K. Klink is director, Medical & Dental Education, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations, Washington, DC. D.G. Smith is director, Graduate Medical Education, Abington Memorial Hospital, Abington, Pennsylvania, and clinical associate professor of medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. C. Carraccio is vice president, Competency-Based Assessment Program, American Board of Pediatrics, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. R. Harding is research assistant, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. E. Dexter is biostatistician, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. M. Marino is assistant professor, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. S. Jones is program director, Virginia Commonwealth University-Fairfax Residency Program, Fairfax, Virginia. K. Caverzagie is associate dean for educational strategy, University of Nebraska School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska. M. Mustapha is assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. P.A. Carney is professor of family medicine, School of Medicine, and professor of public health, School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To report findings from a national effort initiated by three primary care certifying boards to catalyze change in primary care training. METHOD: In this mixed-method pilot study (2012-2014), 36 faculty in 12 primary care residencies (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics) from four institutions participated in a professional development program designed to prepare faculty to accelerate change in primary care residency training by uniting them in a common mission to create effective ambulatory clinical learning environments. Surveys administered at baseline and 12 months after initial training measured changes in faculty members' confidence and skills, continuity clinics, and residency training programs. Feasibility evaluation involved assessing participation. The authors compared quantitative data using Wilcoxon signed-rank and Bhapkar tests. Observational field notes underwent narrative analysis. RESULTS: Most participants attended two in-person training sessions (92% and 72%, respectively). Between baseline and 12 months, faculty members' confidence in leadership improved significantly for 15/19 (79%) variables assessed; their self-assessed skills improved significantly for 21/22 (95%) competencies. Two medical home domains ("Continuity of Care," "Support/Care Coordination") improved significantly (P < .05) between the two time periods. Analyses of qualitative data revealed that interdisciplinary learning communities formed during the program and served to catalyze transformational change. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that improvements in faculty perceptions of confidence and skills occurred and that the creation of interdisciplinary learning communities catalyzed transformation. Lengthening the intervention period, engaging other professions involved in training the primary care workforce, and a more discriminating evaluation design are needed to scale this model nationally.
PURPOSE: To report findings from a national effort initiated by three primary care certifying boards to catalyze change in primary care training. METHOD: In this mixed-method pilot study (2012-2014), 36 faculty in 12 primary care residencies (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics) from four institutions participated in a professional development program designed to prepare faculty to accelerate change in primary care residency training by uniting them in a common mission to create effective ambulatory clinical learning environments. Surveys administered at baseline and 12 months after initial training measured changes in faculty members' confidence and skills, continuity clinics, and residency training programs. Feasibility evaluation involved assessing participation. The authors compared quantitative data using Wilcoxon signed-rank and Bhapkar tests. Observational field notes underwent narrative analysis. RESULTS: Most participants attended two in-person training sessions (92% and 72%, respectively). Between baseline and 12 months, faculty members' confidence in leadership improved significantly for 15/19 (79%) variables assessed; their self-assessed skills improved significantly for 21/22 (95%) competencies. Two medical home domains ("Continuity of Care," "Support/Care Coordination") improved significantly (P < .05) between the two time periods. Analyses of qualitative data revealed that interdisciplinary learning communities formed during the program and served to catalyze transformational change. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that improvements in faculty perceptions of confidence and skills occurred and that the creation of interdisciplinary learning communities catalyzed transformation. Lengthening the intervention period, engaging other professions involved in training the primary care workforce, and a more discriminating evaluation design are needed to scale this model nationally.