Enhancing Physicians' Autonomy through Practical Trainings

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Physician Training

Background:

• Standardized clinical protocols are vital in medical emergencies for optimal patient outcomes.
• Newly qualified physicians in Italy often face critical patient management autonomously with limited practical training.
• Many universities lack simulation programs, leaving new doctors unprepared for real-world emergencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of emergency medical training on physician autonomy.
• To compare the perceived autonomy of newly qualified versus experienced physicians in various clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 2,168 physicians (newly licensed and experienced).
• Questionnaires assessed participation in standardized emergency courses (e.g., Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support).
• Perceived autonomy in five work settings was measured using a 5-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• Newly qualified doctors comprised 68.7% of participants.
• Basic Life Support training was most common (77.5%), Advanced Trauma Life Support least common (15.9%).
• Physicians reported highest autonomy in Primary Care (63.1%) and lowest in Emergency Departments (24.0%). Experienced physicians demonstrated significantly higher autonomy than newly qualified ones across all settings (31.4% vs 8.1%).

Conclusions:

• Newly qualified physicians have lower perceived autonomy, especially in emergency settings, highlighting a training gap.
• Increased participation in standardized emergency medical training is crucial for enhancing physician confidence and competence.
• Addressing deficiencies in practical emergency training is essential for improving healthcare delivery by early-career physicians.