scholarly journals Patient care complexity as perceived by primary care physicians.

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill K. Mount ◽  
R. Michael Massanari ◽  
Jay Teachman
2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Ely ◽  
Jerome A. Osheroff ◽  
Saverio M. Maviglia ◽  
Marcy E. Rosenbaum

Abstract Objective: To describe the characteristics of unanswered clinical questions and propose interventions that could improve the chance of finding answers. Design: In a previous study, investigators observed primary care physicians in their offices and recorded questions that arose during patient care. Questions that were pursued by the physician, but remained unanswered, were grouped into generic types. In the present study, investigators attempted to answer these questions and developed recommendations aimed at improving the success rate of finding answers. Measurements: Frequency of unanswered question types and recommendations to increase the chance of finding answers. Results: In an earlier study, 48 physicians asked 1062 questions during 192 half-day office observations. Physicians could not find answers to 237 (41%) of the 585 questions they pursued. The present study grouped the unanswered questions into 19 generic types. Three types accounted for 128 (54%) of the unanswered questions: (1) “Undiagnosed finding” questions asked about the management of abnormal clinical findings, such as symptoms, signs, and test results (What is the approach to finding X?); (2) “Conditional” questions contained qualifying conditions that were appended to otherwise simple questions (What is the management of X, given Y? where “given Y” is the qualifying condition that makes the question difficult.); and (3) “Compound” questions asked about the association between two highly specific elements (Can X cause Y?). The study identified strategies to improve clinical information retrieval, listed below. Conclusion: To improve the chance of finding answers, physicians should change their search strategies by rephrasing their questions and searching more clinically oriented resources. Authors of clinical information resources should anticipate questions that may arise in practice, and clinical information systems should provide clearer and more explicit answers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen V ◽  
◽  
Jaqua E ◽  
Oh A ◽  
Altamirano M ◽  
...  

Introduction: The broad range of patients and diagnoses addressed by primary care physicians lends to a larger after-work clinic load. The resulting after-clinic work, including various in-basket tasks, can be a substantial burden to physicians, and potentially leading to burnout. The goal of this study is to generate a standardized workflow to improve physician after-clinic work efficiency and patient care. Methods: A nine-question pre- and post-intervention survey about afterclinic work management was administered to family medicine residents at a multi-specialty FQHC in California. The intervention was done in June 2020 and included a twenty-minute training session explaining how to implement a standardized in-basket management flowchart in a family medicine residency clinic. Results: Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed using nonindependent paired sample t-tests. The survey was sent to all 40 family medicine residents. Pre- and post-intervention survey response rate was 77.5% and 97.5% respectively. The result of the nine questions post intervention were statistically significant (p value of <0.001). The standardized flowchart addressed adequate supervision of resident physicians’ patient care. Conclusion: The post-intervention results showed that having a clear and standardized flowchart enhanced the overall knowledge and understanding by the resident physicians in how to management the in-basket workflow. With increased patient access via telehealth and enhanced electronic medical records, it is essential to have effective teaching and supervision of resident physician after-clinic work. Successful teaching of after-clinic work will improve work-life balance and the overall success of the new primary care physician.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254266
Author(s):  
Seint Kokokyi ◽  
Bridget Klest ◽  
Hannah Anstey

Objective To gather patients’ and primary care physicians’ (PCP) opinions on trauma-informed Care (TIC) and to investigate the acceptability of recommendations developed by patient, family, and physician advisors. Design Cross-sectional research survey design and patient engagement. Setting Canada, 2017 to 2019. Participants English-speaking adults and licensed PCPs residing in Canada. Main outcome measures Participants were given a series of questionnaires including a list of physician actions and a list of recommendations consistent with TIC. Results Patients and PCPs viewed TIC as important. Both patients and PCPs rated the following recommendations as helpful and likely to positively impact patient care: physician training, online trauma resource centres, information pamphlets, the ability to extend appointment times, and clinical pathways for responding to trauma. PCPs’ responses were significantly more positive than patients’ responses. Conclusion TIC is important to patients and PCPs. Patients and PCPs believe changes to physician training, patient engagement, and systemic factors would be helpful and likely to positively impact patient care. Future research needs to be conducted to investigate whether these recommendations improve patient care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-135
Author(s):  
Ben Jameson

The Acute GP Service has operated in Plymouth for the last 7 years. We have a mandate to improve patient care through supporting community GPs and their patients at the point of need for urgent medical assessment. I outline our service design and delivery and make the argument for the use of primary care physicians to help manage the interface between primary and secondary care.


Author(s):  
William G. Rothstein

Training in primary care has received limited attention in medical schools despite state and federal funding to increase its emphasis. Departments of internal medicine, which have been responsible for most training in primary care, have shifted their interests to the medical subspecialties. Departments of family practice, which have been established by most medical schools in response to government pressure, have had a limited role in the undergraduate curriculum. Residency programs in family practice have become widespread and popular with medical students. Primary care has been defined as that type of medicine practiced by the first physician whom the patient contacts. Most primary care has involved well-patient care, the treatment of a wide variety of functional, acute, self-limited, chronic, and emotional disorders in ambulatory patients, and routine hospital care. Primary care physicians have provided continuing care and coordinated the treatment of their patients by specialists. The major specialties providing primary care have been family practice, general internal medicine, and pediatrics. General and family physicians in particular have been major providers of ambulatory care. This was shown in a study of diaries kept in 1977–1978 by office-based physicians in a number of specialties. General and family physicians treated 33 percent or more of the patients in every age group from childhood to old age. They delivered at least 50 percent of the care for 6 of the 15 most common diagnostic clusters and over 20 percent of the care for the remainder. The 15 clusters, which accounted for 50 percent of all outpatient visits to office-based physicians, included activities related to many specialties, including pre- and postnatal care, ischemic heart disease, depression/anxiety, dermatitis/eczema, and fractures and dislocations. According to the study, ambulatory primary care was also provided by many specialists who have not been considered providers of primary care. A substantial part of the total ambulatory workload of general surgeons involved general medical examinations, upper respiratory ailments, and hypertension. Obstetricians/ gynecologists performed many general medical examinations. The work activities of these and other specialists have demonstrated that training in primary care has been essential for every physician who provides patient care, not just those who plan to become family physicians, general internists, or pediatricians.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 683-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A Bernhardt ◽  
Cara Zayac ◽  
Erynn S Gordon ◽  
Lisa Wawak ◽  
Reed E Pyeritz ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233339281774746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Lee ◽  
Maneesh Sharma ◽  
Svetlana Kantorovich ◽  
Ashley Brenton

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical utility of an algorithm-based decision tool designed to assess risk associated with opioid use in the primary care setting. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to assess the utility of precision medicine testing in 1822 patients across 18 family medicine/primary care clinics in the United States. Using the profile, patients were categorized into low, moderate, and high risk for opioid use. Physicians who ordered testing were asked to complete patient evaluations and document their actions, decisions, and perceptions regarding the utility of the precision medicine tests. Results: Approximately 47% of primary care physicians surveyed used the profile to guide clinical decision-making. These physicians rated the benefit of the profile on patient care an average of 3.6 on a 5-point scale (1 indicating no benefit and 5 indicating significant benefit). Eighty-eight percent of all clinicians surveyed felt the test exhibited some benefit to their patient care. The most frequent utilization for the profile was to guide a change in opioid prescribed. Physicians reported greater benefit of profile utilization for minority patients. Patients whose treatment was guided by the profile had pain levels that were reduced, on average, 2.7 levels on the numeric rating scale. Conclusions: The profile provided primary care physicians with a useful tool to stratify the risk of opioid use disorder and was rated as beneficial for decision-making and patient improvement by the majority of physicians surveyed. Physicians reported the profile resulted in greater clinical improvement for minorities, highlighting the objective use of this profile to guide judicial use of opioids in high-risk patients. Significantly, when physicians used the profile to guide treatment decisions, patient-reported pain was greatly reduced.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 725-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra B. Stulberg ◽  
Ryan E. Lawrence ◽  
Jason Shattuck ◽  
Farr A. Curlin

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