Assessment of the Federal Grant Program for the Establishment of Departments of Family Medicine.

As part of an evaluation of the Federal Establishment of Departments of Family Medicine Grant Program, nine departments of family medicine were visited from March to May 1988 to assess their development in the academic setting and to evaluate the role of the federal program in that developmental process. The study found that grant support has been useful in enhancing the status of family medicine by aiding research and curriculum development, supporting administrative infrastructure, and fostering other topics specific to individual departments. The flexibility with which departments can seek funds for specific needs makes broad measures of success impractical; however, it appears that funds from this grant program have been reasonably effective in advancing the academic stature of departments of family medicine. It is concluded from the study that the program should be continued and that its inherent flexibility should be preserved.