Family medicine training in Saudi Arabia: Are there any variations among different regions?

Abstract

Aims:The aim was to compare Eastern, Makkah, and Asir regions in term of residents’ perception of the achievement of training objectives, and to assess various rotations based on residents’ perception.Settings and Design:This cross-sectional study was done among family medicine residents in the Eastern, Makkah, and Asir regions.Methodology:A questionnaire was developed by the investigator and validated by two experts. All residents, except R1 residents, were included. All data were collected by the investigator by direct contact with the residents.Statistical Analysis Used:Cronbach's alpha, analysis of variance, t-test, and univariate regression model as appropriate, were used.Results:Reliability of the questionnaire was found to be 75.4%. One hundred and seven (response rate: 83.6%) residents completed the questionnaire. There were 51 (47.7%), 27 (25.2%), and 29 (27.1%) residents in the program in the Eastern region, Makkah, and Asir, respectively. The mean age was 29.1 ± 2.5 years; half of the residents were male, most of (83.2%) were married, and more than half (54.2%) of had worked in primary health care before joining the program. Overall, 45% of the residents perceived that they had achieved the training objectives. The highest rotations as perceived by the residents were psychiatry and otolaryngology while the lowest were orthopedics and ophthalmology. There were significant differences among the study regions with regard to the rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, orthopedics, general surgery, and emergency medicine.Conclusions:Overall, a good percentage of the residents perceived that they had achieved the training objectives. The rotations differed in the studied regions. Psychiatry and otolaryngology had the highest percentage of family medicine residents who perceived that they had achieved the training objectives while lowest was in internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. The highest rotations as perceived by the family medicine residents were psychiatry and otolaryngology while lowest were orthopedics and ophthalmology. Sharing of experience and further studies are needed to improve the program rotations.

Residents Satisfaction with Training Environment of Saudi Diploma of Family Medicine, Saudi Arabia

“…Elder age and previous experience of working in PHC before joining the training program were shown to be associated with a better perception and satisfaction [5,6]. Rate of female trainees is comparable to the rates reported in earlier studies [5,6]. Generally, participants expressed high satisfaction with the resources and administrative aspects of SDFM training program.…”

“…Earlier studies from Saudi Arabia showed that elder trainees are more likely to have worked in PHC before joining postgraduate programs [5,6]. Elder age and previous experience of working in PHC before joining the training program were shown to be associated with a better perception and satisfaction [5,6]. Rate of female trainees is comparable to the rates reported in earlier studies [5,6].…”

“…The mean age of participating residents was higher than the same in other studies from Saudi Arabia [5,6]. This is expected as younger applicants choose to join fellowship compared to diploma training.…”

“…This is expected as younger applicants choose to join fellowship compared to diploma training. Earlier studies from Saudi Arabia showed that elder trainees are more likely to have worked in PHC before joining postgraduate programs [5,6]. Elder age and previous experience of working in PHC before joining the training program were shown to be associated with a better perception and satisfaction [5,6].…”

“…Despite the need to assess this new program, few studies explored the training aspects of both (SBFM) and (SDFM) [3][4][5][6]. However, these studies did not explore the satisfaction of residents concerning training environment.…”