Optimizing Survey Response Rates in Graduate Medical Education Research Studies

Assessing the Knowledge and Comfort Level of US Family Medicine Residents Regarding Consenting and Confidentiality in Adolescent Health Care

OBJECTIVES

Organizations recommend providing confidential adolescent health care to reduce the consequences of high-risk health behaviors such as substance use, unhealthy eating patterns, and high-risk sexual behaviors. Family physicians are uniquely positioned to provide confidential counseling and care to this vulnerable population but must be trained to provide such care. This study describes the impact of formal and informal training on the knowledge of and comfort level in providing confidential adolescent healthcare among a sample of US Family Medicine residents.

METHODS

Electronic surveys were distributed to all Family Medicine residents throughout the United States. We used descriptive statistics and χ2 analysis where appropriate to determine the association between resident-reported receipt of training, confidence, and frequency in providing confidential adolescent health care.

RESULTS

A total of 714 Family Medicine residents completed the survey. The majority reported no formal training in residency (50.3%). The receipt of formal and informal training in both medical school and residency was associated with a greater degree of comfort in providing confidential adolescent care and a higher likelihood of providing confidential time alone. Those reporting formal training were more likely to always provide confidential care (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Training focused on confidential adolescent health care in medical school or residency was associated with a greater degree of comfort and a higher likelihood of providing confidential adolescent health care.

Assessment of advanced paediatric dentistry education programmes in Egypt: a survey of programme directors

BACKGROUND

Advanced paediatric dentistry education programmes (APDEPs) should follow specific standards to produce competent specialists. The current study assessed APDEPs in Egypt via an online questionnaire to programme directors.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

An online questionnaire was distributed to the directors of fully operational degree-granting APDEPs in Egypt in June 2023. The survey instrument was based on the Accreditation Standards for Advanced Dental Education Programmes in Paediatric Dentistry developed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

RESULTS

Directors of the sixteen fully operational APDEPs answered the questionnaire giving a 100% response rate. APDEPs, in Egypt, varied regarding the adequacy of teaching staff, facilities and resources, didactic instruction, clinical requirements, and research activities.

CONCLUSION

The current survey provides information about the strengths and weaknesses of fully operational degree-granting APDEPs in Egypt. This information can help maintain and improve the quality of these programmes.

Knowledge and Behavior of Primary Care Physicians Regarding Utilization of Standardized Tools in Screening and Assessment of Anxiety, Depression, and Mood Disorders at a Large Integrated Health System

INTRODUCTION

Standardized screening, objective evaluation, and management of behavioral health conditions are major challenges in primary care. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) provide standardized screening and symptom management tools for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and Mood Disorders (MD), respectively. This study explores family physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the utilization of GAD-7, PHQ-9, and MDQ in outpatient primary care offices.

METHODS

The study method was a cross-sectional electronic and paper survey utilizing a self-administered questionnaire that assessed primary care physicians' demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices in rural and urban outpatient clinical settings regarding GAD-7, PHQ-9, and MDQ. Statistical software SAS 9.4 was used for descriptive and Chi-Square statistics.

RESULTS

Out of 320 total participants,145 responded (45.3%). Responding family physicians demonstrated a high level of familiarity with the GAD-7 (97.9%), PHQ-9 (97.9%), and MDQ (81.3%) assessment tools. However, the reported utilization rates were relatively lower than knowledge, with 62.7%, 73.1%, and 31.9% extremely likely or likely to utilize the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and MDQ as screening and monitoring tools, respectively. Less than a quarter of the total respondents use the objective score for the future management of GAD, with significantly more residents utilizing the score for GAD-7 compared to attendings (P < .05). There was no statistical significance difference between residents and attendings for the objective evaluation of Major Depressive Disorder (P = .26) and Mood Disorders (P = .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite being knowledgeable of the utility of GAD-7, PHQ-9, and MDQ, the primary care physicians in a large integrated health system in Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland report inconsistent utilization in their practice. Further studies are needed to determine the underlying factors contributing to the suboptimal usage of these screening tools and ways to increase it.

Resident Involvement in Curricular and Clinical Practice Change and Satisfaction With Training According to Length of Training in Family Medicine

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Most research in residency training has focused on quality improvement within a single program. We explored resident involvement in curricular and clinical practice change, the learning environment, and resident satisfaction in 3-year family medicine residencies compared to matched 4-year residencies.

METHODS

We used two surveys to capture data. One was for program directors, which assessed the level of resident involvement in curricular and practice transformation. The second was a resident survey, which asked residents to rate their involvement in curricular change and practice transformation, the learning environment, and satisfaction with training. Both were administered annually between 2013 and 2019. Response rates ranged from 84.6% to 100%.

RESULTS

Findings revealed no overall difference in resident involvement in curricular change, but the program director survey findings indicated that a higher proportion of residents in 4-year programs were using a broader diversity of approaches to working on quality improvement (QI) projects compared to those in 3-year programs. We also found statistical differences in the number of QI projects completed per year, with 34.1% completing three or more in 4-year programs compared to 13.3% in 3-year programs (P<.001). We found a positive correlation between resident involvement, learning environment, and satisfaction with training for both 3-year (range 0.489-0.666; P=.001) and 4-year residents (range 0.441-0.529; P=.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Four-year residents were involved in a greater number of quality improvement projects and had a more diverse profile of involvement than those in 3-year residency programs. Involvement in practice and curricular change and the learning environment were associated with greater levels of resident satisfaction with training in both 3-year and 4-year programs.

A Novel Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents to Care for High-Need, High-Cost Patients

OBJECTIVES

High-need, high-cost (HNHC) patients represent a small proportion of patients in the US, but result in disproportionately higher healthcare utilization. Teaching Internal Medicine (IM) resident trainees to provide high value care for HNHC patients is critical. We sought to improve resident attitudes and increase clinical skills associated with treating HNHC patients by creating a curriculum that leveraged the UCLA Extensivist Program, a patient-centered medical home for HNHC patients.

METHODS

We developed a curriculum for PGY-2 and PGY-3 IM residents centered on caring for HNHC patients over the course of 6, 4h sessions during 1 academic year. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing self-rated attitudes and skills associated with caring for an HNHC patient population.

RESULTS

Twenty-one IM residents completed the curriculum and 41 were in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in assessed attitudes and skills, but there were trends of improvement, including a decrease in participants who agreed or strongly agreed they felt overwhelmed when seeing patients for posthospital discharge follow up (45.0% pre- to 41.7% post-intervention) and an increase in participants who agreed or strongly agreed they have the skills to successfully transition HNHC patients between inpatient and ambulatory settings (20.0% pre- to 33.3% post-intervention). Participants reported better understanding of resources available to HNHC patients, effective coordination of transitions of care, and comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health.

CONCLUSION

A curriculum to improve resident attitudes and skills associated with caring for HNHC patients was successfully implemented in an IM program at a large academic medical center. The curriculum may be adapted for other training programs; long-term training woven throughout training may be important to significantly improve resident education on how to care for HNHC patients.