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Residents find clinical practice guidelines valuable as educational and clinical tools.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Information regarding clinical practice guideline (CPG) use in residency education is limited. We surveyed a regional population of family practice residents to determine use, attitudes, and curricular needs for practice guidelines.


METHODS
A written survey was developed that measured residents' exposure to, frequency of use, attitudes, access, and knowledge about use of CPGs. The survey was mailed to 114 family practice residents.


RESULTS
The response rate was 75%. The most frequently seen guidelines were immunization schedules, cancer screening, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension management. The residents reported positive attitudes toward CPGs; 75% thought CPGs were easy to use, 80% thought they improved their efficiency, 78% thought they improved their residency education, and 75% thought they improved patient care. Barriers to effective use of practice guidelines were also identified; 20% knew where to find guidelines in their clinic, 35% had faculty modeling, and 22% knew how to evaluate the validity of a guideline. Eighty-nine percent of respondents desired instruction on CPG use and interpretation.


CONCLUSIONS
The surveyed family practice residents have similar usage rates for CPGs as the literature reports for practicing physicians, but residents report more positive attitudes. Barriers that prevent effective use of CPGs in training environments include lack of critical appraisal abilities and faculty role modeling.