title: An evaluation of the impact of an increase in community-based medical undergraduate education in a UK medical school.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 1996 Liverpool University reformed its MBChB programme from a traditional course to a reformed curriculum based on the recommendations in Tomorrow's Doctors. Liverpool community-based undergraduate medical education increased significantly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Research  comprised questionnaires and interviews six years after graduation with the final two cohorts to graduate from the traditional curriculum and the first two cohorts to graduate from the reformed curriculum, to ascertain their views on their undergraduate medical education. Two of the questionnaire  variables and some of the interview questions were directly related to their community-based undergraduate medical education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reformed curriculum graduates felt better prepared for understanding the relationship between primary and hospital care than traditional graduates. This  was statistically significant. When assessing the amount of GP teaching they received, 64% of the traditional graduates felt their GP teaching was less than 'about right' compared with only 8% of reformed curriculum graduates. During the interviews the traditional graduates were divided about  whether there should have been more GP exposure in their course and many said they had little knowledge about the relationship between primary and secondary care. Generally, the reformed curriculum graduates thought it was beneficial to have a larger amount of community teaching and it was  useful for developing clinical skills and they understood the relationship between primary and secondary care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An increase in exposure to community-based undergraduate medical education can change the way graduates perceive and understand general practice.
authors.affiliation: Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK. efcsw@liv.ac.uk
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watmough
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003153:Community Health Services; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom