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Background and Objectives: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a widespread problem but physicians may feel inadequately prepared to provide addiction care. We sought to assess current addiction medicine curricula in US family medicine residencies (FMRs) and evaluate barriers to improving or implementing addiction medicine curricula.Methods: Questions regarding addiction medicine training were added to the December 2015 Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA) survey to US FMR program directors to evaluate each FMR's curriculum, potential workforce production, perceived barriers to improving or implementing curricula and faculty training in addiction medicine.Results: Of 461 FMR directors, 227 (49.2%) responded; 28.6% reported a required addiction medicine curricula. Regional variations of having a required curriculum ranged from 41.3% in the Northeast to 20.0% in the South (P=0.07). Of residencies, 31.2% had at least one graduate obtain a buprenorphine prescription waiver in the past year and 8.6% had at least one graduate pursue an addiction medicine fellowship in the past 5 years. Lack of faculty expertise was the most commonly cited barrier to having a curriculum, with only 36.2% of programs having at least one buprenorphine waivered faculty member, 9.4% an addiction medicine board certified faculty, and 5.5% a fellowship trained faculty.Conclusions: Few FMRs have addiction medicine curricula and most graduates do not seek additional training. Multifaceted efforts, including developing model national curricula, training existing faculty, and recruiting addiction trained faculty, may improve addiction medicine training in family medicine residencies to better address the growing SUD epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the current interferon-free era, family medicine is in a unique position to deliver hepatitis C (HCV) treatment with adequate training. Little is known about attitudes of family medicine program directors (PDs) toward capacity building within their residency programs. We report the results of a nationwide survey of family medicine PDs to examine these attitudes.Methods: This study was part of a CERA (Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance) omnibus survey administered to family medicine PDs between February 2015 and March 2015. Attitudes were assessed using a Likert scale ranging from 1=strongly disagree to 6=strongly agree.Results: We surveyed 452 physicians, with 273 responses (response rate 61%). The majority of PDs (78%) believed that chronic HCV represented a significant problem for primary care, and 61.9% believed their program should take steps to build capacity in HCV treatment. There was no effect of regional HCV prevalence, residency program context, or PD characteristics on intent to build capacity.Conclusions: This is the first report to examine PDs intent to build capacity in HCV treatment in this interferon-free, direct antiviral era. Our findings highlight a historic opportunity to train family physicians and position them on the frontline as HCV treatment providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Maternity care is an essential component of family medicine, yet the number of residency graduates providing this care continues to decline. Residency programs have struggled to identify strategies to increase continuation of obstetric practice among graduates. Leaders in family medicine obstetrics previously proposed a tiered model of training to ensure adequate volume for those desiring to continue maternity care upon graduation. However, whether this approach will be successful is unknown. This study aimed to identify program characteristics and teaching methods that may influence residents to continue obstetrics practice upon graduation. METHODS: A nationwide survey of family medicine residency program directors (PDs) was conducted as part of the 2013 CERA survey to characterize teaching in maternity care and identify program- level predictors of graduate continuation of obstetrics (OB). RESULTS: Family medicine programs, which were communitybased, university-affiliated programs in the Midwest and West, contributed more trainees who continued to provide OB care upon graduation. Trainees at these programs received greater supervision by family medicine faculty preceptors on labor and delivery, reported at least 80 deliveries by graduates during residency, and experienced greater autonomy in decision-making during OB rotations. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports a targeted approach to teaching maternity care in family medicine residency programs. Prioritizing continuity delivery experiences and fostering resident independence are strategies toward promoting increased provision of obstetric care by family medicine graduates. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of tiered or track systems in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As the number of people living with HIV steadily increases, severe shortages in the HIV provider workforce in the United States are projected. With an increased emphasis on HIV education during residency, family physicians could play a major role in meeting this need. METHODS: A nationwide survey of family medicine residency program directors (PDs) was conducted to determine their attitudes toward training residents in HIV care. RESULTS: Of 440, 224 (51%) PDs responded to the electronic survey. Teaching HIV care was a high priority for 20% of PDs. Twenty percent of PDs reported residents in their program were providing care to at least five HIV-infected patients. Twenty-five percent of PDs felt that their graduates had the skills to be HIV care providers. Fewer than 25% of PDs reported having a formal HIV curriculum or faculty with adequate HIV expertise. The most favored approaches to strengthen the HIV curriculum by PDs were: (1) a half-day minicourse (30%) and (2) developing a faculty member's expertise in HIV care (17%). A total of 79% of directors saw a need to modify their existing curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Despite growing numbers of HIV-infected patients, only 25% of family medicine PDs felt that their graduates were adequately trained in HIV primary care, and most saw a need to modify their HIV curricula. Family medicine residency training programs have an important opportunity to develop residency curricula and increase faculty competence to train the next generation of clinicians in HIV care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the current interferon-free era, family medicine is in a unique position to deliver hepatitis C (HCV) treatment with adequate training. Little is known about attitudes of family medicine program directors (PDs) toward capacity building within their residency programs. We report the results of a nationwide survey of family medicine PDs to examine these attitudes., Methods: This study was part of a CERA (Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance) omnibus survey administered to family medicine PDs between February 2015 and March 2015. Attitudes were assessed using a Likert scale ranging from 1=strongly disagree to 6=strongly agree., Results: We surveyed 452 physicians, with 273 responses (response rate 61%). The majority of PDs (78%) believed that chronic HCV represented a significant problem for primary care, and 61.9% believed their program should take steps to build capacity in HCV treatment. There was no effect of regional HCV prevalence, residency program context, or PD characteristics on intent to build capacity., Conclusions: This is the first report to examine PDs intent to build capacity in HCV treatment in this interferon-free, direct antiviral era. Our findings highlight a historic opportunity to train family physicians and position them on the frontline as HCV treatment providers.