Essential areas for behavioral science training: a needs assessment approach

The design of effective behavioral science curricula for graduate medical education is an important link in the delivery of high quality medical care. Despite the work that has gone into developing methods of teaching and evaluating behavioral science training, as shown by numerous published articles, practicing primary care physicians still show deficits in handling patients' psychosocial problems. In this study, the authors propose the use of a behavioral science needs assessment questionnaire to ascertain the needs of residents for content areas based on the residents' medical school backgrounds and preferences for training. The questionnaire can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of existing curricula. The questionnaire was administered to 40 family practice residents in four programs to determine essential content areas. It was then used for curriculum planning in one program with 19 residents. Results from this program identified areas not covered in medical school and reflected the resident's comfort/confidence in practice in areas emphasized in the residency curriculum.