Orthopedic practice and training of family physicians: a survey of 302 North Carolina practitioners.

A mailed survey questionnaire was distributed to the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians to assess their orthopedic training and their opinions of the orthopedic training of resident physicians in family practice. Approximately 300 questionnaires were analyzed and the spectrum of orthopedic activities in office, hospital, and community were tabulated. There was no significant geographic variation in practice within the state for these variables, but there were statistis in their management and referral practice of several patient problems. Seventy percent of respondents thought that their training in orthopedics was appropriate to their present practice, but half felt that their training was inadequate. Most of the respondents (57 percent) had less than one month of postgraduate training in orthopedics. The majority (68 percent) recommended some postgraduate training in orthopedics, with about 50 percent recommending one to three months of postgraduate training. The mail survey questionnaire is proposed as a useful aid in curricular design in family practice.