A Phase II Study Alternating Erlotinib With Second-line mFOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Based on our pre-clinical data, we hypothesized that sequencing chemotherapy with erlotinib would increase the tumor response rate in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A phase II trial (planned n=58) using second-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer with either oxaliplatin-based (mFOLFOX6) or irinotecan-based (FOLFIRI) combination chemotherapy and 100 mg erlotinib daily on days 3-8 after each infusion (days 1 and 2) every 14 days. The primary endpoint was the response rate compared to the historical response rate. RESULTS: The FOLFIRI/erlotinib arm met the pre-specified response rate criteria of at least 10% to expand accrual to the intended sample size. The trial was halted after an interim safety analysis (n=11) due to excess grade 3 neutropenia, dose reductions and treatment delays. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was observed in 64% of patients. The response rate was 18%. CONCLUSION: In second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, mFOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI with erlotinib in a sequence-dependent fashion is not feasible despite potential promising activity.

Family physicians' satisfaction with current practice: what is the role of their interactions with specialists?

Provision of high-quality care sometimes necessitates a referral to, and receipt of timely feedback from, specialist physicians. Interaction with specialists is a key role of family physicians, but it has not received significant attention with respect to its impact on family physician satisfaction. The authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data gathered from a decennial census of family physicians in southwestern Ontario. The conceptual framework was based on the model developed by the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Career Satisfaction Work Group. More than two-thirds of respondents were "very satisfied" with their current practice. Stepwise regression analysis based on a generalized linear model showed that greater difficulty in referring patients to specialists was associated with 23% lower odds of being "very satisfied". Not receiving a timely response from specialists was associated with 26% higher odds of not being "very satisfied." Marital status, teaching involvement and practice volume were also associated with satisfaction. The findings indicate that the practice of family medicine offers a fulfilling career in today's medical marketplace. However, linkages and feedback between family physicians and specialists need to be augmented.

Who delivers preventive care as recommended?: Analysis of physician and practice characteristics.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo ascertain which physician and practice characteristics are associated with self-reported provision of preventive care as recommended by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.DESIGNCross-sectional analysis of data from a decennial survey.SETTINGSouthwestern Ontario.PARTICIPANTSA total of 731 family physicians in various practice settings.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESNumber of patients to whom these physicians provided the recommended preventive services based on physicians' responses to various scenarios presented in the survey. The responses were scored, and the median score was used to dichotomize physicians into high- and low-scoring groups.RESULTSClose to two-thirds of the physicians (61%) were in the high-scoring group. Female family physicians, graduates of Canadian medical schools, and physicians whose practices were organized into family health teams, family health groups, family health networks, community health centres, or health services organizations were more likely to be in the high-scoring group. Physicians practising solo and international medical graduates were more likely to be in the low-scoring group.CONCLUSIONReorganizing delivery of primary care into group practice models might improve provision of preventive services. Licensing requirements for international medical graduates should ensure that these physicians are adequately trained to provide preventive services as recommended in the Canadian context. More research is needed before our results can be generalized beyond southwestern Ontario.

Characteristics and practice patterns of international medical graduates: how different are they from those of Canadian-trained physicians?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the personal characteristics and practice patterns of international medical graduates (IMGs) practising in southwestern Ontario and to compare them with the personal characteristics and practice patterns of Canadian-trained family physicians practising in the same region. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data gathered from a census of family physicians. SETTING: Southwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 685 family physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Characteristics and practice patterns of IMG physicians and Canadian-trained physicians. RESULTS: Among all family physicians practising in southwestern Ontario, 15.3% were IMGs. The IMGs were more likely than Canadian-trained medical graduates to be older and to have been in practice longer, and less likely to have completed a family medicine residency or to have been involved in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching. The IMGs were more likely to have practised longer in their current locations and to be in solo practice and accepting new patients, but were less likely to be providing maternity and newborn care. They were also more likely than Canadian-trained medical graduates were to be serving in small towns and rural and isolated communities. CONCLUSION: The personal and practice characteristics of IMG physicians vary somewhat from those of their Canadian-trained colleagues. Policy efforts aimed at increasing and integrating IMG family physicians into the work force need to recognize these differences. Further research is needed before our results can be generalized to physicians practising beyond southwestern Ontario.

Determinants of waiting time for a routine family physician consultation in southwestern ontario.

Waiting times are a reality in Canada's publicly financed single-payer healthcare system. While there are ample data about waiting times for specialized investigations and procedures, few data exist about waiting times to see family physicians, and determinants of this wait. We analyzed data from a survey of 731 family physicians in southwestern Ontario to understand physician- and practice-level determinants of waiting time. Physician gender, usual number of patients seen per week, involvement in teaching and population served were the key determinants of physician-reported waiting time.