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PubMedDate not supplied

Patient preferences for cardiac rehabilitation and desired program elements.

BACKGROUND: Data evaluating the efficacy of traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs to meet patient needs are limited. The authors studied patient-perceived preferences in cardiac rehabilitation programs and desired program elements to evaluate differences by gender or age. METHODS: The authors surveyed 199 patients (136 men, 60.0 +/- 11.6 years; 63 women, 63.7 +/- 12.7 years; P = 0.045) discharged from a tertiary referral hospital with acute myocardial infarction. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire regarding enrollment in rehabilitation and preferences for six program types on a 10-point scale (1 = little or no agreement, 10 = strongly agree). RESULTS: In this study, 54.3% of subjects enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation. Older patients (> or = 65 years) were more likely to enroll in home-based programs compared with younger patients (< 65 years) (11.8% versus 1.4%, P = 0.02). Younger patients preferred a short-term rehabilitation facility more than older patients (7.4 +/- 3.5 versus 5.1 +/- 4.1 units on the 10-point scale, P = 0.001), and rated the following more favorably than older patients: local health club programs (6.2 +/- 3.7 versus 4.5 +/- 4.0, P = 0.01), long-term programs (6.5 +/- 3.8 versus 4.9 +/- 4.2, P = 0.02), and comprehensive programs (6.6 +/- 3.7 versus 4.9 +/- 2.2, P = 0.02). Younger patients rated the following program elements more favorably compared with older patients: stress management (7.0 +/- 3.5 versus 5.7 +/- 4.1, P = 0.04), vocational counseling (5.1 +/- 3.9 versus 1.9 +/- 2.4, P = 0.001), and smoking cessation (4.9 +/- 4.4 versus 2.7 +/- 3.4, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Program preferences differed significantly by age, but not gender. Older patients enrolled in home-based programs over clinic-based programs. Younger patients rated stress management, vocational counseling, and smoking cessation more favorably than older patients. Strategies to enhance patient participation in cardiac rehabilitation should incorporate patient age and preferences for program types and elements.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Engaging families as experts: collaborative family program development.

This article presents the collaborative family program development (CFPD) model, a collaborative research-based approach to creating community-based programs for families. In this approach, families are viewed as experts on the nature of their challenges and on what they desire in a program. This approach is particularly useful in developing programs for families who have experienced social oppression and who may have been reluctant to participate in programs created for them by professionals without their consultation. In contrast, when professionals adopt the stance of respectful learners, families respond by actively engaging in the program development research and in the program created from it. This article describes the nature and complexities of a collaborative program development stance, the unique contribution to community-based program development offered by a family systems focus, and the 10 steps in the CFPD approach. These 10 steps guide movement from initiating the project and forming collaborative professional partnerships to engaging cultural consultants; conducting in-depth research to understand the problems, resources, contexts, and recommendations from the perspective of families who will receive the program and from the perspective of front-line professionals working with these families; transforming research findings into program contents and formats; and implementing, evaluating, revising, and replicating the program. The approach is illustrated by a program called Fresh Start for Families, developed and replicated for families in New York City who are homeless and attempting to move from welfare to work.

Community Health Services↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relative effectiveness of educational and behavioral instruction programs for patients with NIDDM: a randomized trial.

In this randomized trial patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes were allocated to one of four programs: a minimal instruction program (n = 59), and education program of individual visits (n = 57), an education program incorporating a group education course (n = 66), and a behavioral program (n = 59). Individual and group education programs had higher attrition rates than the behavioral and minimal programs. The four programs, which involved different amounts of patient contact time, delivery format, and instructional strategies, all produced reductions in HbA1 and BMI, with no significant differences between the programs. There were no differences between groups over three time periods in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, or proportion of patients consulting an ophthalmologist. The behavioral program produced a greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure over 12 months than the education programs and a greater reduction in the cholesterol risk ratio over 3 months than the other programs. The behavioral program patients were more likely to have visited a podiatrist after 6 months and reported higher satisfaction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Reducing maintenance and repair costs in an interventional pulmonology program.

BACKGROUND: In the current economic climate, hospitals and academic institutions demand that medical departments function in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Detailed business plans are necessary to build new clinical programs, and institutions have learned that new programs are associated with significant costs for purchasing and maintaining equipment. We report our experience with repairs to equipment before and after starting our interventional pulmonary (IP) program, and with the effect of an educational program on reducing these costs. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the costs of equipment repair in the 3 years preceding and in the 5 years following the development of an IP program in our institution, a university-based tertiary referral center. We also studied the effect of an educational program that was designed to enhance the skills of physicians and technical staff in handling the equipment. RESULTS: The cost of repairs to the equipment during the 3 years prior to the development of the IP program was $42 (US dollars) per procedure. In the initial 3 years following the start of the IP program, the yearly average cost rose 21% to $51 per procedure. After the introduction of the educational program, the yearly repair costs decreased by 84% to $8 per procedure. Based on our experience, we estimate that a reasonable budget for the cost of repairs is $50 per procedure. CONCLUSIONS: An educational program was effective in dramatically decreasing the costs of equipment repair after initiating an IP program. This is the first study to offer budgetary guidelines for equipment repair in an IP program and to demonstrate that an educational program can effectively reduce costs.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2000

Prevention validation and accounting platform: a framework for establishing accountability and performance measures of substance abuse prevention programs.

The field of substance abuse prevention has neither an overarching conceptual framework nor a set of shared terminologies for establishing the accountability and performance outcome measures of substance abuse prevention services rendered. Hence, there is a wide gap between what we currently have as data on one hand and information that are required to meet the performance goals and accountability measures set by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 on the other. The task before us is: How can we establish the accountability and performance measures of substance abuse prevention programs and transform the field of prevention into prevention science? The intent of this volume is to serve that purpose and accelerate the processes of this transformation by identifying the requisite components of the transformation (i.e., theory, methodology, convention on terms, and data) and by introducing an open forum called, Prevention Validation and Accounting (PREVA) Platform. The entire PREVA Platform (for short, the Platform) is designed as an analytic framework, which is formulated by a collectivity of common concepts, terminologies, accounting units, protocols for counting the units, data elements, and operationalizations of various constructs, and other summary measures intended to bring about an efficient and effective measurement of process input, program capacity, process output, performance outcome, and societal impact of substance abuse prevention programs. The measurement units and summary data elements are designed to be measured across time and across jurisdictions, i.e., from local to regional to state to national levels. In the Platform, the process input is captured by two dimensions of time and capital. Time is conceptualized in terms of service delivery time and time spent for research and development. Capital is measured by the monies expended for the delivery of program activities during a fiscal or reporting period. Program capacity is captured by fourteen measurement units, tapping into the dimensions of staff resources and community assets. Staff resources are, in turn, operationalized in terms of staff size, staff certification status, staff turnover rate, and the accreditation status of a provider agency. Community assets are operationalized by the number of community centers accessible to the funded agency, number of formalized teams or antidrug coalitions active in the catchment area, and other social/human services providers with whom the prevention agency has formalized networks. The totality of process output from all sources of program activities is reduced to eighteen classes of measures. These are operationalized by thirty-three summary measures. Some of these include: total count of events facilitated; total number of clients served; average number of clients served per event; clients served by single and multiple program sessions; classification of target population in terms of the severity of risk as defined by the Institute of Medicine; age groups and race/ethnicity of clients served; number of program participants retained by recurring programs; number of clients who have completed the program; penetration rates to the target population; client attrition rates; average referral rates per provider per time interval; referral success rates; and so on. All process output measures specified in the Platform are derived from two broad classes of events classified as either products or services. The collectivity of these measures is expected to present a cost-effective, parsimonious, yet comprehensive picture of the entire spectrum of the process output, i.e., "what came out of the program as program activities". For the measurement of performance outcomes, two types of data are incorporated into the Platform: outcome data from individuals and the behavior (or performance) of social indicators from aggregated data bases. Individual data are used to evaluate the outcome of substance abuse programs

Accounting↗
PubMed1996

Centers of excellence: an assessment tool for cardiovascular and orthopedic programs.

As payers place more weight on contracting with hospital/health system programs that can differentiate themselves in the market as a "true" center of excellence (COE), it becomes imperative that hospitals/health systems understand the payer perspective about those programmatic attributes that can truly differentiate them from other programs. This report describes an evaluation and rating methodology for hospital/health system subspecialty programs, particularly cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, that can be used as a self-assessment tool. Using as its core a Rating Scale and Ranking Taxonomy, the evaluation and rating methodology presented here allow cardiovascular and orthopedic programs to do the following: Understand the differentiating characteristic of COE. Rate itself against detailed criteria that are being used by payers. Compare aspects of its program to premier or benchmark programs. Interpret the results to assist with strategic and operational direction. Allocate scarce resources to implement a subspecialty program that will attract payers. The Rating Scale and Ranking Taxonomy has 20 criteria for assessing cardiovascular programs and 18 criteria for orthopedic programs. The assessment process is designed to produce two important results: dialogue and action. The underpinnings of any action is a solid business plan that clarifies the program's vision, values, and mission. They are important because most programs will ultimately pursue very similar strategies and tactics; however, the most successful subspecialty programs and practices will be the ones that can execute the strategies and tactics quickly and effectively. In addition, the changes that are engendered by this targeted yet comprehensive assessment process can lead to improved clinical and functional outcomes for patients, as well as systemic improvements in the delivery of care.

American Hospital Association↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a breast cancer patient information and support program.

CONTEXT: Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer seek answers to many questions about their disease, treatment options, and prognosis. Failure to meet these needs may cause dissatisfaction with the care process. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a support and information program for women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. INTERVENTION: A support and information program that featured a program coordinator, information resources, and mentoring from a breast cancer survivor. DESIGN AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Women in whom breast cancer was diagnosed at program sites (n = 111) and a random sample of women whose breast cancer was diagnosed at nonprogram sites (n = 277) were surveyed by mail to ascertain their level of satisfaction with various aspects of their medical care. The response rates were 74% and 81%, respectively. RESULTS: 75% of women at program sites used the information resources, and 60% requested a patient mentor. Demographic characteristics and satisfaction with non-breast cancer care were almost identical among program and non-program site respondents. For overall breast cancer care, 71% of program site respondents but only 56% of non-program site respondents were very satisfied. More than half of program site respondents rated presurgery care, provision of information, and support received as excellent, versus about 40% of non-program site respondents. Program site respondents were consistently more likely to rate the amount of reassurance and support provided by physicians and nurses as excellent and were less likely to want a second opinion (35% vs. 51%). CONCLUSIONS: The support and information program appears to have had a positive impact on satisfaction with breast cancer care.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Impact of managed MediCal on California family practice programs.

BACKGROUND: An important source of patients for California's family practice program is MediCal. During the past 5 years, MediCal has established a variety of capitated managed care plans. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of California's managed MediCal program on the state's 38 family practice training programs. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, retrospective descriptive survey. METHODS: A 3-page, 11-question survey was developed by family practice residency directors and staff from the California Academy of Family Physicians, San Francisco. The 38 family practice programs in existence in California in September 1997 were stratified by type of managed MediCal in their county and by type of sponsoring institution--university, county, community based, staff-model health maintenance organization, or managed care system. RESULTS: Of the 38 family practice programs, 27 responded; 19 of 27 programs participated in managed MediCal. The total number of family health center patients, and the percentage of MediCal patients (48%-60%) at family practice programs was similar when stratified by programs with and without managed MediCal and by type of sponsorship. Most programs reported that they were able to compete effectively, although most also reported increased administrative, nursing, and front office costs. Managed MediCal patients were directly assigned to residents in only 3 of 19 programs. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of managed MediCal has not adversely affected the number of patients cared for in California's family practice programs. Continued vigilance regarding California family practice programs' involvement in managed MediCal, including collection of accurate data on the number of MediCal patients and the financial and educational implications for California's family practice programs, is warranted.

California↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Abortion training in U.S. obstetrics and gynecology residency programs.

The majority (72 percent) of U.S. residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology include first-trimester abortion techniques in their training. Programs affiliated with public hospitals or with private non-Catholic institutions are the most likely to provide such training, while Catholic-affiliated training programs and those at military hospitals are the least likely to do so. Approximately 23 percent of institutions include abortion training as a routine part of residency, and 50 percent offer it as optional training. The 28 percent of residency programs that offer no abortion training represents an almost fourfold increase since 1976. Although more of the large programs affiliated with public hospitals now include such training as a routine part of their residency programs, fewer of the private non-Catholic programs--where the largest proportion of residents are trained--do so. Consequently, the number of residents exposed to abortion training may have declined slightly over the past decade. Little difference exists between the proportion of programs that offer training in first-trimester techniques and the proportion that train in second-trimester techniques. Nine percent of programs report that all residents participate in first-trimester abortion training, and another 56 percent report that at least half of their residents do so. The participation rate is linked to the expectations of the program: Approximately 88 percent of programs that routinely incorporate abortion techniques in their training report that from one-half to all their residents participate, compared with about 55 percent of programs that offer the training as an option. Approximately 82 percent of programs teach abortion techniques up to at least 20 weeks' gestation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cost effectiveness of three programs to increase use of bicycle helmets among children.

Each year in the United States, 280 children die from bicycle crashes and 144,000 are treated for head injuries from bicycling. Although bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent, few children wear them. To help guide the choice of strategy to promote helmet use among children ages 5 to 16 years, the cost effectiveness of legislative, communitywide, and school-based approaches was assessed. A societal perspective was used, only direct costs were included, and a 4-year period after program startup was examined. National age-specific injury rates and an attributable risk model were used to estimate the expected number of bicycle-related head injuries and deaths in localities with and without a program. The percentage of children who wore helmets increased from 4 to 47 in the legislative program, from 5 to 33 in the community program, and from 2 to 8 in the school program. Two programs had similar cost effectiveness ratios per head injury avoided. The legislative program had a $36,643 cost and the community-based one, $37,732, while the school-based program had a cost of $144,498 per head injury avoided. The community program obtained its 33 percent usage gradually over the 4 years, while the legislative program resulted in an immediate increase in usage, thus, considering program characteristics and overall results, the legislative program appears to be the most cost-effective. The cost of helmets was the most influential factor on the cost-effectiveness ratio. The year 2000 health objectives call for use of helmets by 50 percent of bicyclists. Since helmet use in all these programs is less than 50 percent, new or combinations of approaches may be required to achieve the objective.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Markers of successful recruitment of students to family practice residency programs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With limited numbers of medical students choosing a primary care specialty, family practice residency programs have had to complete to fill available residency positions. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the recruiting process used by US family practice residencies and to compare recruiting strategies used by successful and unsuccessful programs. METHODS: We surveyed program directors of all 361 nonmilitary, accredited, US family practice residency programs in existence for more than 2 years. The questionnaire elicited information on program descriptors, recruitment process, and fill rate in the National Resident Matching Program. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent (282) of the program directors returned usable questionnaires. Success in filling available positions through the Match was significantly associated with high quality of current housestaff and faculty and current residents' positive feelings about the program (P < .01). Program directors perceived successful programs as having an outstanding reputation and being regarded positively by other departments within the institution (P < .01). Programs in the Pacific and Mountain regions of the United States are more successful in recruitment. Programs not filling available positions through the Match spent more effort in recruiting strategies such as mailing and marketing materials (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Having high-quality faculty, housestaff, and residents with good attitudes are markers of success in the Match. Less successful programs appear to try harder to attract residents.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1982

The relative impacts of vertical and integrated FP/MCH programs in rural Nepal.

The objectives of this analysis were to assess the probable impacts of vertical and integrated FP/MCH programs on family planning (knowledge, use, and intentions to use), family size preferences, fertility, and mortality (child and infant). The following discussion summarizes and draws conclusions regarding the results of this investigation. The vertical program showed a greater impact on knowledge of family planning than the integrated program. Increases in knowledge between 1975 and 1978 while controlling for social and demographic variables were greater in the vertical than the integrated areas. Multiple classification analysis at both household and village levels showed that the vertical program was a better predictor of knowledge and changes in knowledge than the integrated program. In addition, the vertical program showed consistently higher proportions of women with awareness of family planning among those segments of the population that could have the greatest impact on fertility reduction in the future--namely, the younger women who are either childless or just beginning their childbearing and those with husbands who have little or no education. Neither the vertical nor the integrated FP/MCH program showed an impact on current use or ever use of family planning. The very low levels and changes in levels of these factors between the programs showed almost no difference throughout the selected demographic and socioeconomic groups. In both program areas the proportions of ever use and current use increased substantially with the number of living sons, exceeding 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively, among women with three or more sons. There were virtually no family planning users or ever users among women with no sons. This appears to indicate that "son preference" (documented in the Nepal Fertility Survey) is an important factor affecting the incidence of family planning practice and may be a formidable obstacle to a substantial reduction in fertility. Family limitation generally may not be taken seriously until a couple has produced the desired number of sons. Hence, until the value of sons (perhaps as sources of labor, financial support and security in old age, and as performers of funeral rites for fathers) can be altered it is unlikely that a reduction in fertility beyond certain levels could occur. The vertical program showed a slightly greater impact on future intentions to use family planning than the integrated program.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

National program for preventing mother-child HIV transmission in Thailand: successful implementation and lessons learned.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development, components, and initial uptake of Thailand's national program for preventing mother-child HIV transmission. DESIGN: Historical review, interpretation of experience, national program monitoring. SETTING: Public health system, Thailand. PARTICIPANTS: Policymakers, clinicians, HIV-infected pregnant women. INTERVENTION: Voluntary counseling and HIV testing of pregnant women; short-course zidovudine for HIV-infected women and their infants and formula feeding for infants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Program components implemented and program uptake. RESULTS: Research, monitoring and evaluation of pilot projects, training, and policy-making provided the information, experience, infrastructure, and guidance to develop a program for preventing mother-child HIV transmission that was implemented in all Ministry of Public Health hospitals in Thailand in 2000. A national system was established to monitor program implementation. Monitoring reports were received from 669 hospitals in 65 provinces for the period October 2000 through July 2001. During this period, 93% of 318 721 women who gave birth were tested for HIV; 69% of 3958 HIV-infected women giving birth received zidovudine; and 86% and 80% of the 3865 children born to HIV-infected women received zidovudine and infant formula, respectively, through the program. CONCLUSIONS: A national program for preventing mother-child HIV transmission was successfully implemented in Thailand. Early monitoring indicates good program uptake. Lessons learned from implementing this program include the importance of paying attention to counseling, communication, and training in the program, and using pilot projects and focused monitoring and evaluation data to guide the program development, expansion, and improvement.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1999

Computerized pediatric telephone triage and advice programs at children's hospitals: operating and financial characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the operating characteristics, financial performance, and perceived value of computerized children's hospital-based telephone triage and advice (TTA) programs. DESIGN: A written survey of all 32 children's hospital-based TTA programs in the United States that used the same proprietary pediatric TTA software product for at least 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The expense, revenues, and perceived value of children's hospital-based TTA programs. RESULTS: Of 30 programs (94%) responding, 27 (90%) were eligible for the study and reported on their experience with nearly 1.3 million TTA calls over a 12-month period. Programs provided pediatric TTA services for 1560 physicians, serving an average of 82 physicians (range, 10-340 physicians) and answering 38880 calls (range, 8500-140000 calls) annually. The mean call duration was 11.3 minutes and the estimated mean total expense per call was $12.45. Of programs charging fees for TTA services, 16 (59%) used a per-call fee and 7 (26%) used a monthly service fee. All respondents indicated that fees did not cover all associated costs. Telephone triage and advice programs, when examined on a stand-alone basis, were all operating with annual deficits (mean, $447000; median, $325000; range, $74000-$1.3 million), supported by the sponsoring children's hospitals and their companion programs. Using a 3-point Likert scale, the TTA program managers rated the value of the TTA program very highly as a mechanism for marketing to physicians (2.85) and increasing physician (2.92) and patient (2.80) satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Children's hospital-based TTA programs operate at substantial financial deficits. Ongoing support of these programs may derive from the perception that they are a valuable mechanism for marketing and increase patient and physician satisfaction. Children's hospitals should develop strategies to ensure the long-term financial viability of TTA programs or they may have to discontinue these services.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1993

Cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation program after myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation program initiated after acute myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: The value of allocating health care resources to smoking cessation programs after myocardial infarction has not been compared with the value of other currently accepted interventions. METHODS: A model was developed to examine the cost-effectiveness of a recently reported smoking cessation program after an acute myocardial infarction. The cost was estimated by considering the resources necessary to implement the program, and the effectiveness was expressed as discounted years of life saved. Years of life saved were estimated by modeling life expectancy using a single declining exponential approximation of life expectancy based on data from published reports. RESULTS: The cost-effectiveness of the nurse-managed smoking cessation program was estimated to be $220/year of life saved. In a one-way sensitivity analysis, the cost-effectiveness of the program remained < $20,000/year of life saved if the program decreased the smoking rate by only 3/1,000 smokers (baseline assumption 26/100 smokers), or if the program cost as much as $8,840/smoker (baseline assumption $100). In a two-way sensitivity analysis, even if the cost of the program were as high as $2,000/participant, the cost-effectiveness of the program would be < $10,000/year of life saved so long as the program helped an additional 12 smokers quit for every 100 enrolled. CONCLUSIONS: Over a wide range of estimates of costs and effectiveness, a nurse-managed smoking cessation program after acute myocardial infarction is an extremely cost-effective intervention. This program is more cost-effective than beta-adrenergic antagonist therapy after myocardial infarction.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

The cost-effectiveness of varicella vaccine programs for Australia.

OBJECTIVE: to examine the cost-effectiveness of three different varicella vaccination programs compared with no vaccination program. DESIGN: cost-effectiveness study. Simulations of the costs and consequences of chickenpox and the vaccination programs over a 30-year period. Direct (health-care) costs only were used in the simulations. SETTING: Australia.Participants/subjects: annual birth cohorts of infants (12-months old) and adolescents (12 years old). INTERVENTIONS: strategy I (no vaccination) was compared with three different varicella vaccination programs: strategy II - all infants; strategy III - adolescents without a history of varicella; and strategy IV ('catch-up')- all infants plus, for the first 11 years, adolescents without a history. OUTCOME MEASURES: fatalities and hospitalisations for varicella and its complications (encephalitis, pneumonitis, long-term disability). RESULTS: the average cost per case of chickenpox averted was $64, $530 and $418 in the infant, adolescent and catch-up programs, respectively. The infant program was the most cost-effective of the three. This program could avert 4. 4 million cases, 13,500 hospitalisations and 30 fatalities for chickenpox over a 30-year period. RESULTS were sensitive to the price of the vaccine and the discount rate, but relatively insensitive to changes in vaccine efficacy, coverage rates or vaccine complication rates. Improved accuracy of a negative varicella history in adolescents would substantially reduce the costs of the adolescent and catch-up programs making these programs feasible. CONCLUSIONS: the infant vaccine program is the preferred program, but the direct costs of any of the vaccination programs considered here are greater than the direct costs of no vaccination program.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Factors that affect National Resident Matching Program rankings of medical students applying for radiology residency.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: A study was performed to determine which factors most influence the program rank lists of U.S. medical students applying for radiology residency and which sources of information about residency programs these medical students value most highly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed to the 516 U.S. medical students who applied to the authors' radiology residency program in the 2001 National Resident Matching Program match. Respondents were asked to evaluate 23 factors that may have affected their rank lists, on a five-point Likert scale. For data interpretation, factors were categorized as being either within, somewhat within, or outside the control of the program director. Respondents were also asked to evaluate eight potential sources of information about residency programs. RESULTS: The response rate was 23.3% (120 of 516). The three most important factors affecting rank lists were the perceived happiness of current residents within the program, the geographic location of the program, and the academic reputation of the department. Four of the five factors that scored most highly were judged to be outside the program director's control. The most important sources of information were the interview day and personal interactions with residents currently in the program. Program Web sites were rated more highly than the written materials provided. CONCLUSION: Medical students applying for radiology residency use many sources of information and weigh many factors in making their program rank lists. Many of the most influential factors are outside the direct control of the program director.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Research in radiology residency programs: a survey.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are characteristics that typify research undertaken in diagnostic radiology residency programs, to determine how the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Residency Review Committee's scholarly activity requirement is met by those programs not requiring research, and to ascertain whether differences in research requirements exist between university-based residency programs and those in private facilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A one-page survey regarding research requirements during residency was mailed to the 203 program directors of accredited diagnostic radiology residency programs. Chief residents from programs that had not responded to the survey were interviewed at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Data collected were analyzed by using Pearson's chi 2 test. RESULTS: Ninety-two residency programs responded to the survey. Residents were required to assist a faculty member with research in 33% of programs and perform independent research in 20%. There was no statistically significant difference between private practice-based and university-based training programs. A total of 53% of residency programs required some type of resident research. Defined rotations in research were less common (14%). Time off for research activity was granted on request in 23% of the programs. Programs that did not require research used voluntary research activity (25%) and teaching opportunities (17%) to meet the scholarly activity requirement. CONCLUSION: While there is no specific ACGME requirement for research by residents, data indicate that the majority of programs consider research activity, either independent or by assisting faculty, to fulfill the ACGME scholarly activity requirement. However, no single method was selected by more than 33% of those responding.

Data Collection↗