Internal Medicine Resident Experiences With a 5-Month Ambulatory Panel Management Curriculum

Panel management is emphasized as a subcompetency in internal medicine graduate medical education. Despite its importance, there are few published curricula on population medicine in internal medicine residency programs.

We explored resident experiences and clinical outcomes of a 5-month diabetes and obesity ambulatory panel management curriculum.

From August through December 2016, internal medicine residents at the University of Vermont Medical Center reviewed registries of their patients with diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity; completed learning modules; coordinated patient outreach; and updated gaps in care. Resident worksheets, surveys, and reflections were analyzed using descriptive and thematic analyses. Before and after mean hemoglobin A1c results were obtained for patients in the diabetic group.

Most residents completed the worksheet, survey, and reflection (93%-98%, N = 42). The worksheets showed 70% of participants in the diabetic group had appointments scheduled after outreach, 42% were offered referrals to the Community Health Team, and 69% had overdue laboratory tests ordered. Residents reported they worked well with staff (95%), were successful in coordinating outreach (67%), and increased their sense of patient care ownership (66%). In reflections, identified successes were improved patient care, teamwork, and relationship with patients, while barriers included difficulty ensuring follow-up, competing patient priorities, and difficulty with patient engagement. Precurricular mean hemoglobin A1c was 7.7%, and postcurricular was 7.6% (P = .41).

The curriculum offered a feasible, longitudinal model to introduce residents to population health skills and interdisciplinary care coordination. Although mean hemoglobin A1c did not change, residents reported improved patient care. Identified barriers present opportunities for resident education in patient engagement.