Identifying appropriate tasks for the preregistration year: modified Delphi technique.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the tasks that should constitute the work of preregistration house officers to provide the basis for the development of a self evaluation instrument.


METHODS
Literature review and modified Delphi technique.


METHODS
Northern Deanery within the Northern and Yorkshire office NHS executive.


METHODS
67 educational supervisors of preregistration house officers.


METHODS
Percentage of agreement by educational supervisors to tasks identified from the literature.


RESULTS
Over 61% of communication items, 70% of on call patient care items, 75% of routine patient care items, 45% of practical procedure items, and over 63% of self management items achieved over 95% agreement that they should be part of the house job of preregistration house officers. Poor agreement was found for the laboratory and clinical investigations that house officers could perform with or without supervision.


CONCLUSIONS
The tasks of house officers were identified but issues in using this method and in devising a universally acceptable list of tasks for preregistration house officers were apparent.
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and Dentistry, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AB. Jane.Stewart@ncl.ac.uk
J
J
Stewart
C
C
O'Halloran
P
P
Harrigan
J A
JA
Spencer
J R
JR
Barton
S J
SJ
Singleton
D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003142:Communication; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D005791:Patient Care; D011364:Professional Practice; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013222:State Medicine; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods