Family medicine
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Emerging technologies, trainees' proficiency with digital resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the role of mobile and asynchronous learning methods in medical education. Educational podcasts have gained popularity in both formal curricula and independent learning, but their impact on educational outcomes has not been well studied. ⋯ The podcast demonstrated a reaction-level impact, with users reporting positive attitudes toward the podcast's impact and spending more time studying during pediatrics clerkship. Podcasts have strong potential as a supplement to existing curricula, where they can fill a need for interested learners. Future research should focus on the relationship between time spent and knowledge gain or utilize alternative measures of knowledge.
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The COVID-19 pandemic restricted the availability of face-to-face primary care visits. This rapidly increased the proportion of primary care patient-clinician visits conducted virtually and asynchronously (remote consultations via video, telephone, and web-based text/email), altering the educational environment for medical students. Our study explored the impact of the increased proportion of primary care visits conducted virtually and asynchronously, on medical students' self-reported interest in pursuing a career in general (family) practice. ⋯ Sociable, supportive working and learning environments and offering equitable care are important motivators for the future workforce. There is a need to develop robust training and assessment in patient-clinician virtual visits and asynchronous communication and to integrate this into curricula.
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Physician location is an important element of health care access. However, physician shortages and disparities in geographic distribution exist. This study examines physician locations, relocation patterns, and factors associated with relocating. ⋯ Primary care status and rurality are important factors consider to understand physician relocation patterns. We found that a substantial number of Arizona physicians relocated within Arizona between 2014 and 2019, and few of those who relocated (2%) moved to a more rural area.
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Office-based minor surgery (OBMS) refers to all surgical procedures performed under local anesthetic in the office setting. It is cost effective for the health economy, safe, and appreciated by patients. It is not yet fully understood why some general practitioners (GPs) perform OBMS and others do not, while there is a growing demand for OBMS. Therefore, we explored factors that influence the performance of OBMS by GPs. The aim of this study is to explore the facilitators and barriers that influence GPs in deciding whether to perform OBMS. ⋯ The increasing demand for OBMS in primary care centers requires more attention to training aspects, the existing fear, adequate reimbursement for special accreditation, and collaboration and organization. We expect that addressing these factors will result in the strengthening of primary care, improving patient safety, lower referral rates, and a reduction in health care costs.