The effect of teaching medical students on private practitioners' workloads.
BACKGROUND
The costs in time and money of medical student education for family physicians in private practice is uncertain, with the literature containing conflicting reports.


METHODS
Questionnaires were mailed in 1992-93 to 56 primary care physicians who had taught third- or fourth-year students during the previous academic year in fulfillment of the students' required four-week family medicine preceptorships at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.


RESULTS
Forty-six physicians responded. The physicians had been preceptors for 74 students. Most of the physicians reported increases in time spent at work (mean of 46 minutes per day, standard deviation of 32 minutes) when a student was present in their practices. Only five noted decreases in billed charges.


CONCLUSIONS
The preceptors were consistent in their indications that having students in their offices increased their time at work. This suggests that teaching medical students places a substantial temporal burden on private practitioners.
Vinson
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Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine 65212.
Paden
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D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000191:economics*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education*; D005251:Fees, Medical; D008923:Missouri; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000191:economics*; D011331:Private Practice / Q000191:economics*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload