title: Family medicine training in Saudi Arabia: Are there any variations among different regions?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to compare Eastern, Makkah, and Asir regions in term of residents' perception of the achievement of training objectives, and to assess various rotations based on residents' perception.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was done among family medicine residents in the Eastern, Makkah, and Asir regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was developed by the investigator and validated by two experts. All residents, except R1 residents, were included. All data were collected by the investigator by direct contact with the residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cronbach's alpha, analysis of variance, t-test, and univariate regression model as appropriate, were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reliability of the questionnaire was found to be 75.4%. One hundred and seven (response rate: 83.6%) residents completed the questionnaire. There were 51 (47.7%), 27 (25.2%), and 29 (27.1%) residents in the program in the Eastern region, Makkah, and Asir, respectively. The mean age was 29.1 ± 2.5 years; half of the residents were male, most of (83.2%) were married, and more than half (54.2%) of had worked in primary health care before joining the program. Overall, 45% of the residents perceived that they had achieved the training objectives. The highest rotations as perceived by the residents were psychiatry and otolaryngology while the lowest were orthopedics and ophthalmology. There were significant differences among the study regions with regard to the rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, orthopedics, general surgery, and emergency medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, a good percentage of the residents perceived that they had achieved the training objectives. The rotations differed in the studied regions. Psychiatry and otolaryngology had the highest percentage of family medicine residents who perceived that they had achieved the training objectives while lowest was in internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. The highest rotations as perceived by the family medicine residents were psychiatry and otolaryngology while lowest were orthopedics and ophthalmology. Sharing of experience and further studies are needed to improve the program rotations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Dammam, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ammar R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Abu Zuhairah
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Dammam, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Kasim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Al-Dawood
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Dammam, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Amar H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Khamis
keywords: Clinical training; family medicine; postgraduate training