Primary care services improve healthcare outcomes and limit unnecessary specialty care. Thus, it is essential to monitor primary care physician demand and supply projections to suggest evidence-based healthcare reforms and promote better healthcare delivery. This study evaluates 28 demand variables, 50 supply variables, and 26 additional variables associated with the demand and supply projections of physicians by reviewing scenarios from other countries, including Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and the United States of America. The results indicate that Korea uses less diverse demand and supply indicators and suggest the need to implement variables used in the other four countries to improve projection modeling.

Citations

• A year of significant progress for the Korean Journal of Family Medicine
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(1): 1.     CrossRef
• What is the optimal number of physicians for a sustainable healthcare system?
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(1): 1.     CrossRef
• Rushed health workforce reform in South Korea: a Kingdon’s multiple streams framework analysis of the 2024 medical school quota expansion
  Yuri Lee, Hyun-Young Shin
  Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef

Background
: Most recently, there is an increased use of EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) for primary care among family physicians, which tends to promote EGD training programs in the course of Family Practice Residency. This study determined to survey current status of EGD training programs among residents in family medicine, identify relevant problems, and present some suggestions for their improvement.

Methods : The subjects were residents selected among family medicine training hospitals, which were registered in the KAFM (Korean Academy of Family Medicine). The residents were in their 3rd year of training or had already completed the EGD training program. Surveys were sent out to those hospitals by mail and electronic mail surveys were performed by researchers.

Results : Among 66 subject hospitals a total of 27 surveys (40.9%) were returned. Most EGD training were performed in the department of internal medicine. The mean duration of training period was 8 weeks. The averale number of hands on experience of the procedure was 62. It was found that most residents thought that EGD training period and the number of hands on experience of the procedure were insufficient. The longer period of actual experience of the procedure and the more number of EGD caseloads they had, the more they were satisfied with their EGD training programs. It was also found that there was a high demand for a follow-up learning opportunities for EGD (p＜.05), because the residents who had already had many EGD caseloads further wanted to receive continuous education even, after they acquired license. There were no relationships observation period, period of actual experience of the procedure, and number of EGD caseloads during residency with demand for follow-up learning opportunities.

Conclusion : In summary, there was insufficient EGD training period and actual experience of the EGD procedure in family practice residency. There was low satisfaction of EGD training programs and high demand for continuous education. Therefore, it is recommended to establish EGD training program, proper practice training, and regular continuing education after completing residency.