Accepted Type
Oral
Code
OG2-1-4
Acceptance Declaration
Accept
Additional Information
Yes, I have/had in the past 2 years, a financial interest, arrangement, or affiliation with one or more organizations that could be perceived as a direct/indirect conflict of interest in the context/content of the subject of this or any other presentation.
Was this work accepted for CCME 2020?
no
Category
General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)
Type
Oral
Sub Type
Education Research
Will the presenter be a:
Jr. Faculty (less than 5 years in practice)
Affiliation
Considered for Poster
yes
Title
Unique features of rural generalist to urban specialist consultation: A qualitative study of rural family physicians
Length of Presentation
Background/Purpose
Communication is a key competency for medical education and comprehensive patient care. Several models of teaching communication exist in medical education, but none address rural to urban consultation. The aim of this study was to explore rural physicians' perspectives on consultations with urban specialists to better inform existing communication teaching tools.
Methods
This qualitative study involved semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with rural family physicians (n=11) with varied career stages, geographic regions, and rural community sizes in Newfoundland and Labrador. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts.
Results
Participants identified features of consultation and referral process that were unique to rural practice and illustrated strategies to improve communication. Four themes specific to communication in rural practice were identified. The themes included: (1) understanding the contexts of rural care; (2) geographic isolation and patient transfer; and (3) respectful discourse; and (4) overcoming communication challenges in referrals and consultations.
Conclusion
Rural physicians see value in conveying the unique aspects of rural practice during communication with urban specialists. Modification of traditional teaching models to convey the rural context, challenges related to patient transfers, and respect for rural expertise may serve to improve the quality and effectiveness of communication between rural and urban settings. Trainees in undergraduate and post-graduate medical education may benefit from opportunities for clinical experience in rural settings, along with enhancements to content about the distinct aspects of rural care.
Keyword 1
Rural
Keyword 2
Communication
Keyword 3
Medical education
Level of Training
General
Abstract Themes
Patient Safety
Additional Theme (First choice)
Distributed Medical Education
Additional Theme (Second Choice)
Professionalism
Additional Theme (Third Choice)
Continuing Medical Education
Authors
Presenter
Margo Wilson
Term 1
Yes
Term 2
Yes
Term 3
Yes
Term 4
Yes
Term 5
Yes
