Practice-Based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) in Scotland: the past, the present and the future

Practice-based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) originated in Canada and transferred to Scotland in 2003 with a successful pilot involving 45 general practitioners (GPs). The Scottish programme has grown considerably since then and now has 3,400 members drawn from GPs, GP nurses, pharmacists and other professions. Members get together in small groups and discuss case presentations written by authors who have drawn on their own experiences with real patients. The group review a distillation of the current evidence base included in the module and propose changes to their own practice. Members make a commitment to change and log these changes in a shared document.In Scotland, 34% of groups are inter-professional, reflecting the dynamic changes to the primary health care team as it meets the health care needs of the Scottish population. Professional (and inter-professional) socialisation is a key feature of many PBSGL groups. Some groups have peer support as a central function to their meetings.The programme has recruited a small team of module writers and authors and most modules are now produced in Scotland by primary health care members. In addition, over 1,000 members have been trained up to be peer facilitators for their small group. The PBSGL programme in Scotland has ensured that continuing professional development of the primary health care team is available to teams across Scotland and that PBSGL groups can control the content and logistics of their own meetings.