Promoting advance care planning (ACP) in community health clinics in Israel: Perceptions of older adults with pro-ACP attitudes and their family physicians.

Objective: We examined barriers and facilitators to patient-family physician discussions in Israel about advance care planning, including preparation of an advance directive by adults over age 65, as part of a program in two community health clinics which afforded family physicians the opportunity to dedicate time to such discussions with patients. To the best of our knowledge, the program is the first of its kind in Israel.

Method: We used thematic analyses of qualitative data collected through 22 interviews with patients with pro-advanced care planning attitudes and three focus groups with eleven family physicians.

[A COMPARISON OF THE BLUEPRINT FOR THE STEP 1 FAMILY MEDICINE CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION AND THE CONTENT OF FAMILY PRACTICE MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS IN ISRAEL].

Background: Since 1970, written (Step 1) and oral (Step 2) examinations have been part of the requirements for board certification in Israel.

Objectives: To compare the content of Step 1 examinations in family medicine, that was derived from their blueprints in 2010-2016, with the content of family practice in the Jerusalem district in 2015, that was derived from the electronic database of Clalit Health Services.

Results: (a) The blueprints indicated that a Step 1 examination totaled 150 items.

Is the influenza vaccination rate of elderly patients affected by raising the vaccination rate of the staff at their primary health care clinics?

Background: Influenza vaccination of community-dwelling elderly is widely recommended. Observational studies have shown a strong association between physicians' personal vaccination status and their reported level of recommendation to patients and possibly their patients' actual vaccination. No published trials have examined whether increasing vaccination rates of primary care staff raises vaccination among their patients.

Randomized trial of a program to increase staff influenza vaccination in primary care clinics.

Purpose: Although vaccination of health care workers against influenza is widely recommended, vaccination uptake is low. Data on interventions to increase staff immunization in primary care are lacking. We examine the effect of a promotional and educational intervention program, not addressing vaccine availability, to raise the influenza vaccination rate among staff in primary care clinics.