Attitudes and Barriers Encountered in Training Family Medicine Residents in Nursing Home Care: A National Survey of Program Directors: A CERA Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate program director perceptions of influences on resident decisions to practice long-term care (LTC) medicine. Family physicians are well suited to provide nursing home care, but limited available data suggests a decline in the number of family physicians who do so. Family medicine residencies need to address the need for long-term care providers. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate program director perceptions of influences on resident decisions to practice long-term care (LTC) medicine. Family physicians are well suited to provide nursing home care, but limited available data suggests a decline in the number of family physicians who do so. Family medicine residencies need to address the need for long-term care providers. RESULTS: We found that support and perceived preparedness for residency graduates practicing in nursing homes was high. We found that barriers to training were few, with resident interest being the largest barrier. Census region and community size correlated significantly to program directors' estimates of the percentage of residents to be practicing in nursing homes after graduation. CONCLUSIONS: Family medicine residency directors acknowledge the need for family medicine residents to be trained in nursing home care. Further research and policy development are needed to support family physicians in playing key roles in providing care to patients in American nursing homes.