A survey of formal training in the care of children in family practice residency programs.
BACKGROUND
Declining hospitalization rates for children and an increased emphasis on ambulatory care may be affecting the way family practice residency programs train their residents in the care of children.


METHODS
We surveyed all US family practice residency program directors to determine the nature of the child care training that programs currently provide to residents.


RESULTS
Responses were received from 78% of the programs. Residencies required a mean of 5.2 months of formal pediatric training (range: 1 to 11 months). Thirty percent of programs noted a declining inpatient census on inpatient pediatric teaching services, but since 1978, the mean duration of inpatient pediatric training increased by 0.4 months to a required mean of 2.7 months of general pediatric inpatient training (range: 0 to 6 months). The mean time devoted to structured outpatient pediatric training was only 1.6 months (range: 0 to 6 months). Nine percent of responding programs required no formal pediatric outpatient training other than family health center experience.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite declining inpatient census and increased emphasis on comprehensive ambulatory care, family practice residencies require more formal inpatient pediatric training than formal outpatient training.
Baldor
R A
RA
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Massachusetts.
Luckmann
R
R
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003479:Curriculum; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States