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- Title
Teaching Women's Health Skills.
- Authors
Dixon, James G.; Bognar, Bryan A.; Keyserling, Thomas C.; DuPre, Connie T.; Xie, Sharon X.; Wickstrom, Glenda C.; Kolar, Maria M.
- Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the readiness of academic general internists to perform and precept a commonly utilized women's health examination, and procedural and management skills. DESIGN: Full-time faculty from divisions of general internal medicine and departments of family practice in 9 states reported their encounter frequency with, comfort precepting, and the importance they ascribe to several examination, procedural, and management skills relevant to women's health care; and their attitudes toward performing the pelvic exam and obtaining a Pap smear. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 331 general internal medicine physicians (GIMs) and 271 family medicine physicians (FPs) completed questionnaires, with response rates of 57% and 64%, respectively. More than 90% of GIMs and FPs indicated they were confident precepting the breast and Pap/pelvic examinations. A relatively small percentage of GIMs expressed confidence precepting the management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding (22%), initiating Depo-Provera (21%), and initiating oral contraceptives (45%), while a substantially larger percentage indicated that these skills were important to primary care practice (43%, 44%, and 85%, respectively). Although GIMs indicated they were confident precepting the Pap/pelvic exam, they were less likely than FPs to agree with the following statements: “Performing routine Pap smears is a good use of my time” (GIMs 65%, FPs 84%); “It is a waste of health care dollars for primary care physicians to refer patients to gynecologists for routine Pap/pelvic exams” (GIMs 69%, FPs 90%); “I feel very well trained to do a routine bimanual exam” (GIMs 71%, FPs 98%), and “The clinic where I practice is well equipped to do a Pap smear” (GIMs 78%, FPs 94%). CONCLUSIONS: Although most academic GIMs are confident precepting the breast and pelvic examination, only a minority are confident precepting the management of...
- Subjects
WOMEN'S health; MEDICAL practice; PRIMARY care
- Publication
JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2003, Vol 18, Issue 6, p411
- ISSN
0884-8734
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1525-1497.2003.10511.x