Does a residents' continuity clinic provide primary care?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Primary Care Pediatrics
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Pediatric residency programs require continuity experiences for trainees.
• Continuity clinics, often hospital-based outpatient departments, may vary in their primary care delivery.
• Assessing the primary care capacity of these training sites is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the primary care services provided by The Johns Hopkins Hospital's Primary Care Clinic.
• To compare the clinic's primary care performance against local private pediatric practices and a walk-in clinic.

Main Methods:

• A primary care measure was applied to assess the "principal care" component of encounters.
• Data were collected from The Johns Hopkins Primary Care Clinic, private pediatric practices, and a walk-in clinic.
• A primary care index was used to quantify the facility's role as a patient's primary care source.

Main Results:

• The Johns Hopkins Primary Care Clinic provided "principal care" in 93% of encounters, exceeding private practices (84.5%) and a walk-in clinic (51%).
• The clinic achieved a higher score on the primary care index, indicating a stronger role as a primary care source.
• These findings suggest hospital-based clinics can effectively facilitate primary care training.

Conclusions:

• Hospital-based continuity clinics can successfully provide comprehensive primary care for pediatric patients.
• This model offers pediatric residents robust training opportunities in primary care delivery.
• Continuity clinics are vital for ensuring residents develop essential primary care competencies.