INTEREST IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF PATIENTS - WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE NEW-TO-PRACTICE FAMILY PHYSICIANS

OBJECTIVE To identify factors that influence new-to-practice family ph ysicians to be particularly interested in certain types of patients. D ESIGN Qualitative study and cross-sectional survey. SETTING Ontario fa mily practices. PARTICIPANTS Seven focus groups involved a volunteer s ample of 34 physicians who completed family medicine residency trainin g between 1984 and 1989. A convenience sample of 43 physicians who had completed their residencies between 1990 and 1992 were interviewed. A ll certificants of the College of Family Physicians of Canada currentl y practising in Ontario who received certification between 1989 and 19 91 were surveyed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Physician interest as determin ed by scores on two scales: one labeled ''Chronic/Older Patient'', des igned to assess special interest in geriatric patients, chronic pain p atients, palliative care patients, and chronically ill patients, and o ne labeled ''Young Patient'' designed to assess special interest in yo ung families and adolescents. RESULTS In general, new-to-practice had little interest in caring for older or chronic patients; older physici ans and male physicians had greater interest in caring for chronic or older patients. Women physicians, physicians rating higher on the ''em pathy'' and ''interest in counseling'' scale, and physicians receiving primarily fee-for-service remuneration showed greater interest in car ing for young families and adolescents that other physicians. CONCLUSI ONS Physicians' age, sex attitudes to patient care, method of remunera tion, undergraduate and postgraduate schools of medical training, and the age and sex composition of their practices all influenced their in terest in caring for different types of patients.