Assessing Obstetrician-Gynecologist Attitudes and Knowledge of Primary Care

Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) is unique among medical specialties in that it offers both comprehensive surgical and outpatient clinical care. As a provider of health care for women1 the specialty of Ob/gyn has also been referred to as a primary care specialty, like family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. To formally address this focus, curriculum changes to residency training implemented in 1997 mandated six months of primary care training over the four year residency. Programs were given liberty to accomplish this change in a variety of ways. Since this change debate has continued as to what Obstetrician-Gynecologists consider primary care and if they themselves see the specialty as serving the primary care needs of women. Since the time of these changes, much work has been done to look at the attitudes and practice patterns of Ob/Gyns in terms of primary care services. What has not been studied is the definition of primary care ascribed by most Ob/Gyn practitioners and the affect this has on their attitudes towards Ob/Gyn as a primary care specialty. This study hopes to address this issue by allowing participants to define the characteristics they feel are important for a primary care specialty and then describe which of these falls within the scope of the obstetric and gynecology specialty. A large factor in the PCP designation is the ability to diagnose and manage common conditions without specialty referral. This study will look at this particular aspect of primary care by assessing practice patterns of participants in detail. Lastly, even if most participants feel that Ob/Gyn is a primary care specialty, they will be ineffective if they do not have the skills needed to practice in this capacity. Little work has been done to assess the level of primary care knowledge since the revision of the curriculum in 1997. The study will assess knowledge of specific primary care screening topics among residents, fellows and attendings. This pilot study will be conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.Master of Public Healt