Continuity of care in a family practice residency program

Area of Science:

• Family Medicine
• Healthcare Quality
• Medical Education

Background:

• Continuity of care is a fundamental principle in family medicine.
• Assessing continuity within residency training is crucial for evaluating program effectiveness.
• Previous research indicates high continuity in private practice settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure continuity of care provided by residents in a family practice program.
• To evaluate continuity across different care settings (office, after-hours, inpatient).
• To compare resident continuity levels with established private practice benchmarks.

Main Methods:

• A 12-month observational study within a family practice residency program.
• Continuity was assessed across three contact areas: office hours, after hours, and inpatient services.
• Continuity intensity was categorized by physician and team involvement, and family encounters were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Third-year residents demonstrated an average of 83% continuity with individual patients and 70% with families.
• Residents in earlier years showed lower continuity levels compared to third-year residents.
• Continuity for family practice inpatients mirrored these findings, with similar percentages observed.

Conclusions:

• Residency programs can achieve high levels of continuity of care, comparable to private practice settings.
• Continuity of care is feasible and measurable within family medicine residency training.
• Third-year residents exhibit a strong capacity for maintaining continuity, highlighting the importance of progressive training.