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Practice guidelines were developed to improve medical outcomes and cost-effectiveness. The experiences of family physicians, who may need to use multiple guidelines in their practices, are crucial for effective development and implementation of practice guidelines. We surveyed a national sample of US family physicians about factors that affect their adoption and use of practice guidelines.We mailed a structured survey to a national random sample of 400 family physician members of the American Academy of Family Physicians.The response rate was 51%. Most respondents (69%) reported a positive attitude about practice guidelines, but only 44% reported using any guidelines. More younger physicians thought that guidelines could be useful tools. Most preferred guidelines that could be modified (87%) and that were no longer than two pages. Only 27% of respondents knew where to locate a guideline on a particular topic. Forty-three percent of respondents reported that it would be useful if guidelines were a component of an electronic medical record.If guidelines are to be used by practicing family physicians, a generalist perspective needs to be considered in future guideline development and implementation. Younger physicians had more positive attitudes toward guidelines.

Previous descriptions of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course have indicated increases in physician comfort in managing obstetric emergencies and in their intentions to continue offering maternity care after taking the course. No previous studies have been done about the educational outcomes of the ALSO course on family practice residents. This study compared residents' pre- and post-ALSO course confidence to manage obstetrical emergencies and their intention to provide maternity care when they enter practice.A self-selected group of 55 family practice residents completed questionnaires before and after ALSO training. The questionnaire was designed to measure confidence, using Bandura's model of self efficacy, and future intention, using Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior.Residents' confidence in their abilities to manage obstetrical emergencies increased significantly after the ALSO course. Residents' intent to provide maternity care when the residents enter practice did not change.The ALSO course is a valuable teaching intervention that can improve family practice residents' perceived self-confidence in managing obstetric emergencies. The study had sufficient power to detect a moderate effect size of the ALSO course on resident intention to provide maternity care but did not do so.

Professional academic skills (PAS) encompass the values, collegial relations, and career management skills essential for faculty success. Mentoring has been proposed as a way for junior faculty to acquire these skills. In this paper, we present a summary of literature on formal mentoring and report an evaluation of a formal mentoring program (FMP) on the PAS development of junior family medicine faculty.A descriptive, cross-sectional study was used to examine FMP impact on two groups of junior faculty with 18 months (n = 8) and 6 months (n = 10) of program exposure. We developed a Likert-type questionnaire to assess PAS development and used semistructured interviews to identify unintended outcomes of program participation. A qualitative, template analysis helped surface themes from the descriptive data.The FMP had an overall positive impact on junior faculty PAS development, with greatest improvements in their understanding of academic values. Proteges with longer program experience had greater gains. Unintended benefits included improved preparation to mentor others and increased perceptions of a supportive academic environment.Formal mentoring programs can improve the PAS of junior faculty and positively impact an organizational culture that supports faculty development.