Undergraduate teaching in the community: can general practice deliver?

All UK medical schools are revising their curricula following the General Medical Council recommendations to increase general practice involvement in undergraduate education. However, workload in general practice has increased in recent years, raising questions about its ability to maintain, let alone extend, its educational activities.

The aim of this study was examine whether recent changes in general practice have affected delivery of practice-based undergraduate education and to assess the extent to which practices will be able to increase their involvement in teaching.

A postal questionnaire survey was conducted of the lead clinical teachers and their partners in the practices to which students from Leicester Medical School had been attached in the last 2 years.

The questionnaire was completed by 32 out of the 39 lead teachers and 134 of the 150 partners, an overall response rate of 88%. There was widespread support for departmental teaching requirements, but only 17 lead teachers (44%) felt that the suggested reduction by 25% of patients seen per session while teaching was feasible. A total of 14 lead teachers (47%) felt that the ability of their practice to deliver high-quality teaching had declined since 1990. Altogether, 113 (87%) of all doctors in teaching practices felt that time pressures had increased during this period, and 139 (88%) felt that present levels of remuneration were inadequate. The majority of these doctors felt that general practice was the preferred location for learning generic clinical skills and were interested in participating. Nevertheless, most were not prepared to increase their involvement in teaching under present arrangements.

Practice-based teachers appreciate the need for quality teaching, remain enthusiastic about teaching and are, in principle, willing to take an increased teaching load. However, recent changes have made delivery of teaching more difficult, and if an expansion in practice-based teaching is to occur, more realistic levels of funding and support are a prerequisite.