Educational Needs of General Practitioners Who Enrolled as Family Physicians in National Family Medicine Program and Referral System

Introduction: General practitioners who intend to work as “family physician” in Iranian National Family Physician Program should be ready to provide necessary care and services for the population under their coverage. The aim of this study was to survey and prioritize their educational needs required for the determined tasks in order to design proper educational programs. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive survey was performed in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2012. A stratified random sample of 507 general practitioners volunteering for “family physician” program was selected. A researcher-made questionnaire including 60 items (each item represented a physician’s task) asked their felt need to training (scored from 1-5, in three main task domains according to the legislated national guideline (02 edition). Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The highest mean scores were in the fields of primary care in respiratory emergencies (3.93±1.01), performing CPR and intubation (3.93±1.08), poisoning care (3.76±0.94), common psychiatric disorders (3.79±0.92), and the portal for Iranian Health Care System (3.77±0.92). But, contraception methods (2.99±1.09), communication skills with patients and in work place (3.06±1.06), principles and skills of family planning and counseling (3.16±1.04), caring of vaccine-preventable diseases (3.24±0/97) and methods of health education (3.24±0.98) had the least mean scores, so could have the lowest learning priorities. Conclusion: Primary care and management of emergencies should be considered the priorities of continuous medical education (CME) for family physicians. The goals of “family physician” program such as management and providing health care services should be emphasized in designing and implementing health service packages as well.