Scholarly development for primary care residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Primary Care Research
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• Primary care physicians, including family physicians, exhibit lower research productivity compared to hospital-based physicians.
• Family medicine residencies face challenges in implementing effective scholarly skills training for practicing physicians.
• The Primary Care Scholarly Development Program (PC-SDP) was designed to address these gaps by empowering residents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Primary Care Scholarly Development Program (PC-SDP) in enhancing resident scholarship.
• To assess the impact of the PC-SDP on residents' confidence and ability to integrate scholarly activities into their future careers.
• To reduce perceived barriers to scholarly work among primary care residents.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods longitudinal evaluation was conducted, incorporating qualitative interviews and quantitative assessments.
• The study compared an intervention group (participating in PC-SDP) with a comparison group.
• Data included scholarly output at graduation and follow-up surveys assessing long-term value placed on scholarship.

Main Results:

• Qualitative data indicated that residents in the PC-SDP developed greater confidence and a sense of accomplishment regarding scholarly work.
• Residents who participated in the PC-SDP demonstrated a higher volume of scholarly output upon graduation compared to the control group.
• Follow-up surveys revealed that PC-SDP participants placed a higher value on incorporating scholarship into their careers.

Conclusions:

• The PC-SDP effectively fosters enthusiasm for scholarship by supporting residents' professional interests and facilitating project completion.
• This program has the potential to improve scholarly participation among primary care physicians in their future clinical practice.
• Addressing the research productivity gap in primary care is crucial for advancing the field.