Does teaching during a general practice consultation affect patient care?

BACKGROUND General practice differs from hospital medicine in the personal nature of the doctor-patient relationship and in the need to address social and psychological issues as well as physical problems. Recent changes in undergraduate medical education have resulted in more teaching and learning taking place in general practitioner (GP) surgeries. AIM To explore patients' experiences of attending a surgery with a medical student present. METHOD A questionnaire was designed, based on semi-structured interviews. Questionnaires were posted to patients who had attended teaching surgeries in London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. RESULTS Four hundred and eighty questionnaires were sent; of these, 335 suitable for analysis were returned. The response rate in Newcastle was 79%, and in London 60%. Ninety-five per cent of responders agreed that patients have an important role in teaching medical students. Patients reported learning more and having more time to talk, however, up to 10% of responders left the consultation without saying what they wanted to say and 30% found it more difficult to talk about personal matters. CONCLUSION The presence of a student has a complex effect on the general practice consultation. Future developments in medical education need to be evaluated in terms of how patient care is affected as well as meeting educational aims.