Study Shows Residents May Benefit Most From Time in the Clinic

CINCINNATI_A new approach to internal medicine residency training could improve patient care and physician-patient relationships, according to a University of Cincinnati study. Eric Warm, MD, associate professor of medicine and lead investigator of the study, says research showed residents who spent increased time in outpatient settings as opposed to the hospital delivered a higher quality of care and had more satisfaction in their duties. Results of this study are published in the July edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. _We essentially redesigned how the internal medicine residency runs,_ says Warm. _With this new system, residents complete one year in an outpatient clinic actually doing the things patients expect from their primary care doctors. In the past, residents were based mainly in the hospital, and... [read full story]