Medical students in general practice: how do patients feel?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Primary Care Research
• Patient Experience Studies

Background:

• General Medical Council recommends increased general practice experience for medical students.
• Growing need for practical training in primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient perceptions of medical students during general practice consultations.
• To understand patient acceptance and impact of student presence on consultation quality.

Main Methods:

• Survey distributed to patients in six Oxford general practices.
• Questionnaires administered post-consultation, with and without a medical student.
• Data collected from 278 patient respondents.

Main Results:

• Overwhelmingly positive patient response: only 3% negative reactions to students.
• 17% of patients felt consultations improved with a student present.
• Female patients were more likely than male patients to find the student's sex relevant.

Conclusions:

• The vast majority of patients accept medical students in general practice.
• A notable percentage of patients perceive an improvement in consultation quality due to student presence.
• Patient attitudes support the integration of medical students into primary care training.