title: The Exeter Diabetic Project: an acceptable district-wide education programme for general practitioners.
abstract: The Health District is a logical administrative unit for planning health services, and therefore the feasibility of delivering education for general practitioners across one such area was studied. By providing a suitable educational programme at convenient locations, it was possible to involve 89% out of 180 principals in General Practice in the Exeter Health District. Two-thirds of these general practitioners attended educational sessions away from the District Postgraduate Centre. In a questionnaire answered by 81% of the involved general practitioners, 98% acknowledged responsibility for managing their diabetic patients, but 76% admitted to inadequate skills in retinal assessment. In a follow-up postal questionnaire answered by 64% of general practitioners involved in the project, 74% found that they learnt from the retinopathy screening clinic and 100% found the sessions on eye disease helpful. The education programme was designed to link with a District-wide retinopathy screening initiative.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Stead
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Dudbridge
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pereira Gray
mesh_terms: D003710:Demography; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires