Early clinical exposure in medical curricula across Europe: an overview.
BACKGROUND
Many faculties of medicine now include programmes using early clinical exposure (ECE) to introduce medical students to important topics in medicine.


OBJECTIVE
To sketch the landscape of ECE in Europe, describing existing courses.


METHODS
A survey questionnaire was developed by the Basic Medical Education Committee of the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice (EURACT). This survey used the key informant interviews method, with EURACT Council members serving as key informants by filling in the questionnaire and gathering descriptive data on ECE programmes in their own countries.


RESULTS
We asked representatives of 32 EURACT member countries to complete the questionnaire in 2006. We received responses from 21 countries, and the programmes of 40 medical schools from 16 countries were included in the study. Thirty-two medical schools implemented ECE starting in the first year. The duration of ECE programmes ranged from 2 weeks to 2 years. The length of each session varied from 2 hours to a full day. Primary care played an important role in ECE. ECE programmes were implemented with a wide range of objectives.


CONCLUSIONS
ECE is a new and rewarding trend in European medical schools, and general practice/family medicine (GP/FM) departments are widely involved in these teaching activities. This could help establish GP/FM departments in some countries that still do not have them in their medical schools.
Başak
Okay
O
Department of Family Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey. okaybasak@yahoo.com
Yaphe
John
J
Spiegel
Wolfgang
W
Wilm
Stefan
S
Carelli
Francesco
F
Metsemakers
Job F M
JF
D003479:Curriculum / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors