Integrating spirituality into medical practice: a survey of FM clerkship students.

those who had and had not provided continuity care to a patient with GDM (P=.64), nor did the percentage of correct answers differ by gender (P=.13), year in training (P=.24), or program type (P=.98). Additionally, only 32.9% of residents reported having provided continuity care to a patient with GDM. Significantly more residents at community-based programs reported having provided continuity care to a GDM patient than did university-based residents (37.6% versus 17.1%, P=.0008). This study reveals that family medicine residents in Texas have inadequate knowledge concerning postpartum glucose testing and future risk for DM following a pregnancy complicated by GDM. A very low percentage of residents have actually provided continuity care to a patient with GDM. Interestingly, however, residents who had provided continuity care did not score any better than their colleagues who had not provided continuity care. Year of residency training was not associated with knowledge about GDM, although one might expect that residents with more years of training would perform better. The results of this study underscore the fact that family medicine residents are not learning what they should know about postpartum glucose testing and future DM risk of patients with GDM. Family physicians provide primary care for patients who have had GDM even if they did not provide the obstetrical care. This is a population of patients known to be at high risk for overt DM and glucose intolerance, and they should be treated as such with glucose screening tests. Residency programs should assure that their residents know that patients with GDM are at risk for future diabetes and need to be tested for diabetes at their postpartum checkup. Sally P. Weaver, PhD, MD McLennan County Medical Education and Research Foundation Waco Family Practice Center Waco, Tex REFERENCES