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J W Beasley

Publications and source records attributed to J W Beasley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Recruitment of private practices for primary care research: experience in a preventive services clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Recruitment of community primary care practices for studies to improve health service delivery is important to many health care organizations. Prior studies have focused on individual physician recruitment or academic settings. METHODS: This descriptive study evaluated the efficiency and utility of three different recruitment methods to encourage community practice participation in a preventive services research trial. Primary care practices in four midwestern states were recruited using different sources for initial mailings (physician lists, practice lists, and a managed care organization's primary care network) and different recruiting methods. Outcome measures included response rates, participation rates, and comparative costs of each method. RESULTS: Of the 86 eligible practices contacted, 52 (60%) consented to participate. Mailing to individual physicians was the most cumbersome and expensive method and had the lowest response rate. Initial contacts with practice medical directors increased the participation rate substantially, and practice recruitment meetings improved both study participation and practice-project communication. CONCLUSIONS: Experience with these three methods suggests that the most efficient way to recruit practices for participation in a preventive services research trial involves targeted mailings and phone calls to medical directors, followed by on-site practice meetings.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The advanced life support in obstetrics course. A national program to enhance obstetric emergency skills and to support maternity care practice.

Unexpected emergencies occur during routine maternity care. Perceived or actual deficiencies in training may decrease the quality of care and increase liability risks and anxiety among providers. This may lead the provider to discontinue obstetrics, which results in problems in access to care. To improve the training for obstetric emergency management, an Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course was developed. This skill-enhancing course, modeled after other life support courses, is designed to improve the quality and availability of maternity care through standardized training in the management of emergencies and improved communication between maternity care providers. A total of 1315 physicians and nurses attended 35 ALSO courses from 1991 through 1993. Seventy-six percent were family physicians in practice; 20% were from rural areas. About 15% were in hospitals with no obstetricians or pediatricians on staff. Attendees reported a significant increase in their level of comfort in the management of obstetric emergencies and a greater intention to continue maternity care.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Factors associated with research interest and activity during family practice residency.

BACKGROUND: Family medicine lacks a tradition of research training during residency. Previous studies of research during residency have surveyed faculty to assess residents' research interests. In contrast, we directly assessed research interest and activity during residency by surveying all 203 Wisconsin family practice residents. METHODS: The survey instrument was a questionnaire that included questions about the appropriateness of research experience, interest in pursuing research during residency, involvement in research, and perceptions regarding program research support. The importance of factors that encourage research were evaluated. We then used stepwise discriminant analysis to assess whether residents with different levels of interest in research had different perceptions about program support and environmental factors that promote research. RESULTS: Of 143 respondents, most (85%) felt research experience was desirable, and 48% were interested in pursuing research during residency. Only 8% were active in research. Although faculty were perceived as having sufficient research skills and encouraging resident research, few residents responded that dedicated time, seminars on goals and methods of family practice research, or funding were available. Residents with research interests were more likely to respond that their faculty had sufficient research skills and knowledge. Active researchers rated time availability and access to resource personnel as highly important. Those interested, but not active, rated basic information, assistance in identifying topics, and a forum for presentation as highly important. CONCLUSION: Exposure to skilled and knowledgeable faculty researchers may stimulate interest in research. Teaching research goals and methods, assisting in identifying topics, and providing research forums, especially early in residency, may promote research activity. Dedicated time for research and availability of resource personnel will enhance this activity.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1994

Diagnosed and possible undiagnosed asthma: a Wisconsin Research Network (WReN) Study. Wisconsin Research Network (WReN) Asthma Prevalence Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Adult-onset asthma is frequently encountered in primary care and is responsible for a large proportion of asthma morbidity and mortality. The primary goal of this survey was to describe the epidemiology of diagnosed and possible undiagnosed asthma in Wisconsin Research Network (WReN) practices. METHODS: Physicians from 59 practices interviewed a systematic sample of their clinical population, which included all patients encountered during office visits one day each week for 3 or 12 months, to obtain a history of physician-diagnosed asthma or symptoms suggesting undiagnosed asthma (wheezing and shortness of breath). Age at diagnosis or at onset of symptoms and current disease activity were also recorded. RESULTS: The 14,127 patients surveyed closely resembled the age-sex composition of the 1990 general and family practice component of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Physician-diagnosed asthma that was active within the previous year was reported by 6.1% of WReN patients (5.8% of patients younger than 20 years of age and 6.2% of adults). Undiagnosed asthma that was active within the previous year was reported by 3.3% (2.9% of patients younger than 20 years of age and 3.4% of adults). Adult-onset asthma was reported by 46.3% of all patients with diagnosed asthma; and 56.7% of patients with undiagnosed asthma reported that their symptoms began in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Adult-onset asthma accounts for approximately one half of all asthma cases. Since most patients with adult-onset asthma are managed by primary care physicians, practice-based research is necessary for the understanding, treatment, and possible prevention of this important disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The Cancer Pain Role Model Program of the Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative.

The Cancer Pain Role Model Program was established in 1990 by the Wisconsin Cancer Pain Initiative to train physicians to be role models for appropriate pain management. Community and academic physicians along with their "clinical partners," a nurse or pharmacist, were recruited to attend a 1-day education conference that included lectures, small group workshops, and development of an action plan. A total of 44 physicians and 55 clinical partners have attended two conferences (1990 and 1991). Participants listed 199 activities on their action plans; postconference surveys have documented initiation of 212 projects aimed at educating others, improving clinical care, resource development, educating self, or research. The Cancer Pain Role Model Program appears to be a promising means of transferring cancer pain information, legitimizing cancer pain as an important treatment issue, and institutionalizing cancer pain management.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed1993

Chiropractic.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1993

Does teaching by family physicians in the second year of medical school increase student selection of family practice residencies?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Most educators feel that early instruction by family physician teachers increases the probability of students selecting family practice residencies. METHODS: To examine this hypothesis, a retrospective cohort study was performed to evaluate residency selection of students who received their second-year Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) teaching either from family physicians or other specialists (most commonly, internists). RESULTS: For the 971 students who could be followed to residency, 13.6% of those having family physicians as instructors and 15.7% of those having other specialists as instructors chose family practice residencies. The difference is not significant. CONCLUSION: It is probable that the effect of having a family physician as a second-year ICM instructor is not significant enough to be detected by a study of this size and is simply "washed out" by other factors. It is also possible that no positive effect of second-year teaching by family physicians on residency selection exists.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Can NBME scores distinguish students who choose a practice-based clerkship?

The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination Part II scores of students taking a two- to three-month community practice-based third-year family practice clerkship were compared with the scores of comparison students who had been matched on the basis of NBME Part I results. No significant differences between groups were seen for the total score or the scores in medicine or surgery. Significantly higher scores were seen for the clerkship students in the public health section. Significantly lower scores were obtained by this group on the psychiatry section, probably since many of the clerkship students did not take the regular psychiatry clerkship prior to taking the NBME Part II examination. No significant changes were seen in the scores for medicine or surgery. The results for ob/gyn and pediatrics were inconsistent. Taking this community practice-based clerkship appears to provide an equivalent amount of cognitive information.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed1991

Development and operation of the Wisconsin Research Network.

In 1987, the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians developed the Wisconsin Research Network (WReN) to support practice-based primary care research throughout Wisconsin. WReN has three objectives: to support the research efforts of individual physicians in community practices, to facilitate collaborative research among practicing physicians, and to provide academically based investigators with access to community practice sites. Due to a policy of actively encouraging membership, WReN has grown to 460 members during its 4-year history. Five WReN-supported papers have been published, and 22 state and national level presentations of WReN-supported research results have been made. Competitive grants totaling more than $2 million have been awarded to university-based investigators for studies using the resources of WReN. This paper describes the development, organization, and success of WReN as well as the challenges which must be addressed.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1989

Wisconsin's family physician shortage.

This paper analyzes current and future needs for primary care physicians--particularly family practice physicians--in Wisconsin in light of predictions of a national physician glut by the year 1990. The current shortfall of family physicians is estimated to be at least 150, with the most severe deficits found in rural and underserved urban areas. Forty-nine to 79 family practice physicians will be needed each year to meet the growing demand and to replace losses due to retirement, speciality change, and other factors. At the current rate of training, 63 new family physicians will enter practice each year; it appears that the current deficit will be made up slowly, if at all. The number of primary care specialists appears unlikely to increase due to the declining interest in the speciality among medical students; only half the number of new family physicians entering practice each year will enter practice in 1994, resulting in an additional shortfall of about 30 to 50 family physicians each year. Programs should be undertaken at medical schools to bolster student interest in family practice and primary care.

Health Services Needs and Demand↗