A model for a standardized national family medicine graduate survey

Background and Objectives: Accreditation requirements mandate that family medicine residency programs perform surveys of graduates. As part of the Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice P ⁴) Project, we developed a model for a standardized national graduate survey to be used to assess practice characteristics of graduates, including the implementation of features of the Patient-centered Medical Home (PCMH). Methods: We conducted a content analysis of residency graduate surveys from the 14 programs involved in the P ⁴ project to identify common elements of importance to residencies. We then designed a new graduate survey as a core measure of the P ⁴ Project. It included practice characteristics, assessment of training, and the status of features of the PCMH. Results: Categories of variables common to the graduate surveys of the P ⁴ programs included physician and practice characteristics, work load, scope of practice, career satisfaction, and assessment of training. We found variability among programs in the number of procedures and residency content areas listed on any individual program survey, with the number of procedure ranging from 0-21, and the number of content areas ranging from 0-61. The only PCMH feature included on any P ⁴ program survey was the status of an electronic medical record. Conclusions: Graduate surveys from individual residency programs vary widely. Using a standardized national survey instrument would provide important information to understand the national practice characteristics and scope of practice in family medicine as well as to track the implementation of PCMH features among residency graduates.