Some primary care residents feel unprepared to provide preventive counseling

Many young physicians completing residency training in primary care specialties do not feel prepared to counsel patients in areas such as depression, substance abuse and domestic violence, according to a report from the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The researchers present their analysis of survey responses from residents in family practice, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology in the May issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

“Residents may have the knowledge and skills required to provide this kind of counseling, but when actually called on to do it, they may not be completely comfortable,” says Elyse Park, PhD, the MGH psychologist who led the study. “They also may find it hard to bring up such matters in patient visits that have so many competing priorities and time constraints.”

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 9 May 2005
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