Six Years' Experience Using Specialty National Residency Index: An Early Dashboard to Document Change Over Time.

Background And Objectives: A decade ago, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors developed the Residency Performance Index (RPI) as a novel dashboard of metrics to support residency programs' quality improvement efforts. Although the RPI has since been discontinued, we sought to identify lessons learned from an analysis of 6 years of data collected while the RPI was in use to inform future quality and accreditation efforts implemented at the national level.

Methods: The RPI collected data from 2012-2017 for nearly 250 distinct family medicine residency programs, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.

Quality assessment and improvement of post graduate family medicine training in the USA.

Background: In 2013, the World Organisation of Family Doctors published training standards for post-graduate medical education (GME) in Family Medicine/General Practice (FP/GP). GME quality has not been well-defined, other than meeting accreditation standards. In 2009, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) developed a tool that would aid in raising the quality of family medicine residency training in the USA.

The Residency Performance Index: An Effort at Residency Quality Assessment and Improvement in Family Medicine.

Background: Residency programs are increasingly being asked to defend their quality, and that of the residents they produce. Yet "residency quality" is a construct that has not been well defined, with no accepted standards other than meeting accreditation standards. In 2009, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors developed a strategic plan that included the goal of raising the quality of family medicine training.

Impact of proposed institute of medicine duty hours: family medicine residency directors' perspective.

Purpose: To examine the opinions of family medicine residency program directors concerning the potential impact of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) resident duty hour recommendations on patient care and resident education.

Methods: A survey was mailed to 455 family medicine residency program directors. Data were summarized and analyzed using Epi Info statistical software.

Clinical utility of common serum rheumatologic tests.

Serum rheumatologic tests are generally most useful for confirming a clinically suspected diagnosis. Testing for rheumatoid factor is appropriate when rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome or cryoglobulinemia is suspected. Antinuclear antibody testing is highly sensitive for systemic lupus erythematosus and drug-induced lupus.