Family physicians and current inpatient practice

Area of Science:

• Family Medicine
• General Internal Medicine
• Healthcare Delivery

Background:

• Growing demand for primary care physicians prompts debate on family physician roles.
• Recommendations suggest limiting family physicians to ambulatory care, excluding inpatient services.
• This study investigates current family physician inpatient care involvement and its determinants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent of family physician engagement in hospitalized patient care.
• To identify factors influencing family physician involvement in inpatient medicine.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 415 practicing family physicians.
• An inpatient involvement score was calculated using hypothetical clinical scenarios.
• Physician and practice characteristics were analyzed for correlation with the involvement score.

Main Results:

• 228 physicians responded; typical respondent was male, married, board-certified, 45 years old, in community practice.
• Median annual admissions were 60.
• Younger age, enjoyment of both inpatient and outpatient medicine, fewer non-hospital obligations, and less complex patient cases predicted higher inpatient involvement.

Conclusions:

• Inpatient medicine remains a substantial component of family physician work.
• Physician-specific choices and characteristics are stronger predictors of inpatient involvement than external factors.