Competencies of Primary Care residents in the management of prevalent problems of the ear, nose and throat

Ear, nose and throat problems are very common in Primary Care settings. Numerous studies have reported that Primary Care physicians feel dissatisfied with their performance and insufficient training to diagnose and manage these problems. The objective of this study was to assess the competency in diagnosis and management of prevalent ear, nose and throat problems in medical residents of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at a University Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. The participants were 25 residents of Pediatrics (7), Internal Medicine (10) and Family Medicine (8). Residents of Family Medicine and Pediatrics showed better performance than residents of Internal Medicine. Residents of Primary Care demonstrated dissimilar competencies in the management of prevalent ear, nose and throat problems. Areas of common improvement opportunities were detected for the three groups, which provided direction and motivation in future learnings in both knowledge and skills.