For a study, researchers sought to look into the viewpoints of Family Medicine Residents in 1 university program to comprehend the effects of this shift to virtual treatment and learning. This focus group study was qualitative. About 4 focus groups were held with a total of 25 participants, each stratified by site type (Rural = 1; Semi-Urban = 1; Urban = 2). Participants were Family Medicine Residents in their first or second year. A 5-level socio-ecological model was used to evaluate focus group recordings thematically (individual, family, organization, community, environment, and policy context). Living and learning in pandemic times and Residents’ Experiences of Virtual Learning and Virtual Care were the 2 key themes. Residents expressed difficulties in the first theme on an individual, family, and training organization level. The absence of practical expertise with clinical abilities like doing physical examinations was especially concerning. Residents mentioned family life and self-care routines being disrupted in the second theme. These Residents could not develop the ties with their preceptors and peers outside of the job they had anticipated, which are essential for social support and future decisions about where to practice. While many patients valued virtual care, these residents believed it was not the best way to learn how to practice family medicine and were looking forward to things getting back to normal. Despite this, the epidemic has highlighted crucial changes that residency training must make to keep up with the times.
Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-022-01728-5
