Job analysis of family physicians in Korea

Park, Hoon Ki; Yoon, Jong Lull; Lee, Jae Ho; Yim, Jee Hyuck; Doh, Byung Wook

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The role and future of family physician are not yet clearly determined even when 20 years lapsed since its introduction to Korea. This study was conducted to establish identity of family physician, to develop pragmatic curriculum of training, and to sort out frame of certification exam by analysing the job of family physicians who were practicing in community.
METHODS
We analysed the job of practicing family physician by using DACUM(Development of Curriculum) method from March 11, 2000 through March 12. Job analysis team was composed of five practitioners, four professors, one facilitator, and one scriber. Six sessions of 2 hours were mainly devoted to brain storming of the idea related to family physician.
RESULTS
Job analysis results are as follows. Family physician was defined as "primary care physician who provides primary medical service continuously and comprehensively by offering individual patient and/or family health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment of common illness". Family physician had seven duties and 129 tasks. The duty of physical exam had 18 tasks, duty of test, 21 tasks, duty of treatment, 40 tasks, duty of health promotion and disease prevention, 15 tasks, duty of patient/client management, 12 tasks, duty of clinic management, 15 tasks, and self development, 8 tasks respectively. Number of tasks whose impotance was classified as `A'(very important) were 43 as total, 3 in physical exam, 7 in test, 9 in treatment, 11 in health promotion and disease prevention, 2 in patient/client management, 9 in clinic management, and 2 in self development respectively. Number of tasks whose difficulty was classified as `A'(very difficult) were 19 as total, 2 in physical exam, 7 in test, 7 in treatment, 1 in clinic management, and 2 in self development respectively. Number of tasks whose frequency was classified as `A'(very frequent) were 22 as total, 6 in physical exam, 1 in test, 8 in treatment, 3 in health promotion and disease prevention, 3 in patient/client management, and 1 in clinic management respectively. Number of tasks which were required for entry level were 74 as total, 18 in physical exam, 14 in test, 29 in treatment, 9 in health promotion and disease prevention, 3 in patient/client management, and 1 in clinic management respectively.
CONCLUSION
Family physicians in Korea perform 7 duties and 129 tasks. Seventy four tasks are required to enter into the job.