Document Detail


Commentary: training internists for practice focused on meeting patient needs.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18820515     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The author describes the evolution of practice within the broad specialty of internal medicine. This evolution is driven by scientific discovery, emergent patient needs, and market forces. Four ages describe the evolution: the age of the Oslerian diagnostic consultant, the age of the subspecialist, the age of the primary care internist, and the emerging age of focused general internal medicine practice. The author suggests that competence in practice-based learning and improvement linked with evaluation of practice performance throughout a career permits the professions to abandon the notion that valid learning for medical practice occurs only by completing a designated number of months of residency or fellowship training. By applying competency-based standards for specialty certification and maintaining its validity for current practice, boards can provide trainees and practitioners a tool for professional accountability for initial and continuous professional competence. The lifelong learning and evaluation process permits the timely recognition of proficiency acquired in practice. This process engages internists in ongoing guided reflection on measures of performance and provides evidence that they have incorporated new knowledge, technology, skills, and attitudes that align their practice with patient needs. As dialogue with internal medicine stakeholders and customers continues, the author describes how the training standards for certification might adapt to the evolving demands for the specialty practice and how the evaluation of continuous professional development through the maintenance of certification provides an instrument for identifying and recognizing proficiency in providing focused care within the broad discipline of internal medicine.
Authors:
F Daniel Duffy
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comment; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges     Volume:  83     ISSN:  1938-808X     ISO Abbreviation:  Acad Med     Publication Date:  2008 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-09-29     Completed Date:  2008-10-24     Revised Date:  2009-11-19    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8904605     Medline TA:  Acad Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  893-6     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine's School of Community Medicine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. dduffy@abim.org
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Clinical Competence
Education, Medical, Graduate
Female
Health Services Needs and Demand / organization & administration*,  trends
Humans
Internal Medicine / education*,  standards
Internship and Residency / standards,  trends
Male
Medicine / standards,  trends
Needs Assessment
Physician's Practice Patterns / organization & administration*,  standards,  trends
Physician's Role*
Physician-Patient Relations
Problem-Based Learning
Specialization
United States
Comments/Corrections
Comment On:
Acad Med. 2008 Oct;83(10):910-5   [PMID:  18820519 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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