Family medicine
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Residency directors and their associated programs devote a considerable amount of time and effort recruiting medical students. Family medicine clerkship directors may be in a position to influence a student's decision regarding specific residency programs. In this study we examined the frequency and content of discussions between family medicine clerkship directors and medical students regarding residency programs. ⋯ Since nearly all clerkship directors report that medical students ask their opinion regarding specific residency programs, program directors and faculty may wish to enhance their communication with these individuals in regards to specific attributes of their residency program.
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A personal physician and enhanced access to care are principles of the patient-centered medical home. Despite the importance of these concepts, measuring and improving interpersonal continuity of care and access to care in academic family medicine centers has received little attention. The authors describe their program's methods and results to maximize continuity of care and minimize delays for care using proven principles from improvement science. ⋯ Despite multiple challenges in academic teaching practices, the continuous use of improvement methods to apply proven change concepts minimizes delay for care and maximizes continuity of care. The residency continuity practice can and should be a cornerstone of residency curriculum.
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Prevalence of chronic disease is rising at unprecedented rates with associated costs that account for 84% of US health care spending. Physicians have the opportunity to guide patients to make lifestyle changes for preventing and self-managing chronic diseases. However, current medical education offers limited training opportunities in behavioral change counseling approaches. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an increasingly well-recognized intervention in the medical community that addresses both behavior change and self-management support. While evidence to support training in motivational interviewing for medical students is growing, more studies are needed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate changes in third-year medical students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a result of a 4-hour MI training. ⋯ The study provides promising evidence that a short 4-hour training can render positive changes among medical students, which supports integration in medical student education programs. Future studies may include evaluation of curriculum enhancements with a more rigorous research design and development of additional training opportunities.