To determine whether the original continuity of care framework is still applicable to family medicine today.
Qualitative descriptive study.
Kingston, Ont.
Three groups of first-year family medicine residents (18 in total), 2 groups of family physicians in established comprehensive practices (9 in total), and 2 groups of family physicians working in episodic care settings (10 in total).
Using focus groups, a semistructured discussion guide, and a qualitative descriptive design, we explored the residents' and practising physicians' conceptions about continuity of care. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes.
Focus group participants consisting of family physicians providing comprehensive care, episodic care physicians, and family medicine residents exposed 2 new dimensions of continuity of care-community continuity of care (the physicians' roles in understanding the lives of their patients, and how this affects their overall health) and continuity of care within the health care team (the continuity between a patient and members of the interprofessional team, including the family physician). Geographic continuity of care (the care of a patient in various settings by the same physician) was not prominently discussed, perhaps reflecting the paucity of family physicians in the hospital setting.
Both of these new dimensions of continuity of care are consistent with the ongoing evolution of family medicine as a discipline, and have important implications for how family medicine training programs should be designed to best prepare trainees for future practice.
Notes
Cites: Pediatrics. 2001 Dec;108(6):1263-811731646
Cites: J R Soc Med. 2003 Apr;96(4):160-612668701
Cites: BMJ. 2003 Nov 22;327(7425):1219-2114630762
Cites: Ann Fam Med. 2004 Sep-Oct;2(5):445-5115506579
Cites: J Fam Pract. 1975 Oct;2(5):371-21206365
Cites: Can Fam Physician. 2007 Jun;53(6):1113-417872790
Cites: BMJ. 1995 Jul 29;311(7000):299-3027633241
Cites: BMC Fam Pract. 2006;7:1116504130
Cites: Fam Pract. 2006 Aug;23(4):461-816595543
Cites: Ann Fam Med. 2007 Jan-Feb;5(1):89-9017261872