Focused practice in family medicine: Quantitative study.

Area of Science:

• Family Medicine
• Medical Education
• Health Workforce Research

Background:

• Focused practice among family physicians (FPs) is a growing area of interest.
• Understanding the characteristics and service provision of FPs with focused practices is crucial for Canadian healthcare planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors associated with focused practice among Canadian family medicine graduates.
• To characterize FPs with focused practices and assess their service range compared to full-scope office-based care.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2013-2014 Western Family Medicine Resident Follow-Up Survey.
• Involved physician and practice characteristics, and clinical services provided by survey participants.

Main Results:

• Postgraduate third-year (PGY3) training completion was associated with focused practice.
• Focused practice FPs were more likely to use fee-for-service or alternative payment plans compared to non-focused FPs.
• Office-based focused practice FPs (OBFFPs) differed from non-office-based FPs (NOBFFPs) in training, payment models, and service variety.

Conclusions:

• PGY3 training and specific remuneration models are linked to focused practice.
• Significant differences exist between OBFFPs and NOBFFPs, with focused practice FPs often concentrating on specialized areas.
• Study findings offer insights for family medicine education, workforce planning, and policy in Canada.