Teaching the value of continuity of care: a case conference on long-term healing relationships

The Continuity Case Conference provides a model for teaching family medicine residents the value, importance, and impact of developing long-term doctor-patient relationships. A resident's presentation of challenging patient cases and the ensuing group interaction with resident peers, faculty, and medical staff are designed to offer residents alternate perspectives on complex, multiproblem cases while validating the often emotional process of patient care. This learning model is designed to demonstrate how a physician, in the context of the cumulative progression of contacts with a patient, can better manage myriad health issues, chronic and acute, and improve patient outcomes. The description of the 1-hr, once-a-month conference format contained herein includes details on preconference preparation, examples.