title: Problems managed by Australian general practice trainees: results from the ReCenT (Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND Previous studies have found that general practitioner (GP) trainees (registrars) see a different spectrum of clinical problems compared to trainers, including less chronic disease and more acute minor illness. Our aim was to describe the case mix of first-term Australian GP trainees.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional analysis of trainee consultations. Descriptive analyses were used to report patient demographics and the number and type of problems managed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred-and-three trainees provided data on 36182 consultations and 55740 problems. Overall, 60.7% of patients seen were female and 56.2% were new to the trainee. Trainees managed a mean of 154.1 problems per 100 encounters. Problems managed most commonly were respiratory (23.9 per 100 encounters), general/unspecified (21.8) and skin (16.4). New problems comprised 51.5% of the total, and 22.4% of problems were chronic diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trainees gain reasonably broad exposure overall in terms of patient demographics and problems managed. In comparison to established GPs, trainees managed the same mean number of problems, but the nature of problems managed was different, with more new patients, more new problems and less chronic disease. Our findings have significant implications for GP training in Australia.
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tapley
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spike
authors.forename: Lawrie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McArthur
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Driel
authors.forename: Parker
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult