[Should we make a bid for SATS? Evaluation of a new educational project in family practice]

A new method for education of general practitioners and for quality assurance in primary health care has been employed in Norway since 1996. The practitioners collect data from their own practices using computerized medical records. Peer groups of four to ten general practitioners meet regularly to present their results, agree on local standards and plan improvements. They may choose among four medical topics. This article presents an external evaluation of participants' experiences conducted by focus group interviews of five groups. Satisfaction with the project was partly dependent on the topic addressed by the group. Groups of participants who felt that they improved their medical knowledge were most favourable to the project. Data collection from their own practices, presented and discussed in the group, was considered a very good basis for learning. Although the project's aim was not properly clarified, we regard this method as promising.