Do the learning needs of rural and urban general practitioners differ?
BACKGROUND
The challenges of rural general practice have given rise to a separate rural training stream and a separate rural professional body. The differences are characterised by the nature of the work undertaken by rural GPs and reflected in the continuing medical education topic choices made when surveyed.


METHODS
In 2001 a survey was designed and distributed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Divisions of General Practice in South Australia and Northern Territory. The survey utilised a list of 104 topics. The topic choices of rural and urban GPs were compared.


RESULTS
The survey was distributed to approximately 1762 GPs and yielded 578 responses (33%). Rural GPs were more likely to select the following topics: Anaesthetics, Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander health, Population Health, Renal medicine, Cardiology, Teaching skills, Obstetrics, Neonates, Arrhythmias, Fracture management, Tropical medicine and Therapeutics. Urban GPs were more likely to select Menopause, Travel medicine and Palliative care (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Many of the areas of difference reflected aspects of rural general practice. There were also many similarities in topic choices between these two groups.
Allan
James A
JA
PO Box 36, Aldgate, South Australia 5154, Australia. jamesa@picknowl.com.au
Schaefer
Di
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015876:Northern Territory; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D012424:Rural Population; D013021:South Australia; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014505:Urban Population