Utilization of a Referral-Based Procedure Clinic to Improve Procedure Training and Assessment in a Family Medicine Residency
Setting and Problem
We identified a need to standardize exposure to certain core procedures in family medicine, and to assess competency in these procedures. Our internal medicine department and certain nonfaculty family medicine physicians previously referred patients needing these core procedures to our institution's specialty departments.
Intervention
We created a referral system for the internal medicine department and nonfaculty family medicine staff physicians to refer certain procedures to our family medicine residency clinic, instead of to the dermatology, gynecology, general surgery, podiatry, or orthopedic departments. These procedures included joint injections, IUDs, EMBs, nexplanon, minor skin procedures, ingrown toenails, and tendon sheath/ligament/aponeurosis (plantar fascia) injections. We created a weekly procedure clinic for these patients that would be staffed by 1 resident and 1 attending who could directly observe all procedures and assess resident competency.
Outcomes to Date
The procedure clinic is well utilized by both the internal medicine and family medicine departments, and is fully booked each week. The procedures scheduled over a 3-month period are listed in the t a b l e.
Conclusions
Benefits for resident education include improving the quality of procedural training through increased and consistent exposure to procedures and evaluation of competency.
Author Notes
