TY - JOUR T1 - A qualitative study of resident and early-career family physicians’ focused practice choices in Canada JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract DO - 10.3399/BJGP.2021.0512 SP - BJGP.2021.0512 AU - Monisha Kabir AU - Ellen Randall AU - Goldis Mitra AU - M Ruth Lavergne AU - Ian Scott AU - David Snadden AU - Lori Jones AU - Laurie J Goldsmith AU - Emily Gard Marshall AU - Agnes Grudniewicz Y1 - 2022/01/11 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/early/2022/01/11/BJGP.2021.0512.abstract N2 - Background: Although focused practice within family medicine may be increasing globally, there is limited research on the factors contributing to decisions to focus practice. Aim: We aimed to examine the factors influencing resident and early-career family physician choices of focused practice across three Canadian provinces. Design and Setting: We analyzed a subset of qualitative interview data from a study across British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Method: A total of 22 resident family physicians and 38 early-career family physicians in their first 10 years of practice who intend to or currently practice in a focused area were included in our analysis. We compared participant types, provinces, and the degree of focused practice while identifying themes related to factors influencing the pursuit of focused practice. Results: We identified three key themes of factors contributing to choices of focused practice: self-preservation within the current health care system, support from colleagues, and experiences in medical school and/or residency. Minor themes included alignment of practice with skills, personal values, or ability to derive professional satisfaction; personal lived experiences; and having many attractive opportunities for focused practice. Conclusion: Both groups of participants unanimously viewed focused practice as a way to circumvent the burnout or exhaustion they associated with comprehensive practice in the current structure of the health care system. This finding, in addition to other influential factors, was consistent across the three provinces. More research is needed to understand the implications of resident and early-career family physician choices of focused practice within the physician workforce. ER -