Primary health care needs for travel medicine training in Britain

In the UK, travel health advice is mainly provided by practice nurses and general practitioners (GPs). The need for their improved education in travel medicine has been highlighted through previous studies and by an increasing number of requests for training.

A questionnaire-based survey of 3900 GP practices was conducted to assess training requirements and to establish the demand for an academic course in travel medicine. 1430 (37%) questionnaires were completed.

93% of practices provided a pretravel advice service. 87% of GPs advised an average of 10 travelers per month and only 48% immunized travelers. 98% of nurses advised and immunized an average of 28 travelers a month. 21% of GPs and two-thirds of nurses had attended one or more training sessions in travel medicine. Over 90% of the sample (83% of GPs and 98% of nurses) expressed an interest in attending a formal training program in travel medicine. Eligibility for Post Graduate Education Awards (PGEA) was important for most GPs (88%). Nurses valued approval by the English National Board for Nursing (88%) and a system of Credit Accumulation & Transfer (CATS) (82%). Funding for a course would be met in full by 18% of respondents (mainly GPs) and a further 20% would contribute to fees. Most GPs and nurses have ready access to a range of information sources, e.g., a postgraduate medical centre (85%) and a medical library (91%). Computerized access to information was feasible as 93% had a computer and 54% had a modem attached.

The discipline of travel medicine is becoming increasingly specialized. Future practitioners will need to enhance their skills to meet the demands of today's travelers. Our results show that general practice staff are keen to develop such skills. Specialist training courses need to be expanded to meet this demand.