Learning about general practice through qualitative interviews: lessons from a seminar course with medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Qualitative Research Methods
• General Practice

Background:

• A seminar course was designed to train medical students in qualitative research methods and introduce them to General Practice.
• Students conducted semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (GPs) to learn about common medical problem prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
• The course was implemented four times across two German universities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medical students' learning experiences within a qualitative research methods course.
• To focus on the students' research experiences and perceptions of the course.

Main Methods:

• Data were gathered through four focus groups.
• Qualitative data analysis was performed on the collected information.

Main Results:

• Students found the course significantly different from their standard medical education, which was both appreciated and challenging.
• Three key themes emerged: a perceived lack of 'facts', an expansion of thinking ('Thinking outside the box'), and difficulties with interpretation ('Reading between the lines').

Conclusions:

• Medical students face challenges learning qualitative research methods due to the conflict with conventional medical education formats and paradigms.
• Special attention is needed to address students' cognitive dissonance and to emphasize the value of qualitative research in General Practice.