Medical education for practice in nonmetropolitan areas

A study of patient records sampled from the office practices of 28 family practitioners and general surgeons in a 16-county nonmetropolitan area revealed that a sizable percentage of the diagnoses of problems encountered by family practitioners concern conditions the management of which is primarily taught on a residency service other than family practice, internal medicine, or pediatrics. Surgeons, conversely, are seeing a large percentage of patients with conditions the management of which is generally taught on a primary care residency service. Data from office records were augmented by interview responses of 32 family practitioners and general surgeons to questions about the training that family practice and general surgical residents should receive if they are to be well prepared for practice in nonmetropolitan areas.