title: Provision of medical student teaching in UK general practices: a cross-sectional questionnaire study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health care is increasingly provided in general practice. To meet this demand, the English Department of Health recommends that 50% of all medical students should train for general practice after qualification. Currently 19% of medical students express general practice as their first career choice. Undergraduate exposure to general practice positively influences future career choice. Appropriate undergraduate exposure to general practice is therefore highly relevant to workforce planning
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study seeks to quantify current exposure of medical students to general practice and compare it with past provision and also with postgraduate provision.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional questionnaire in the UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire regarding provision of undergraduate teaching was sent to the general practice teaching leads in all UK medical schools. Information was gathered on the amount of undergraduate teaching, how this was supported financially, and whether there was an integrated department of general practice. The data were then compared with results from previous studies of teaching provision. The provision of postgraduate teaching in general practice was also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General practice teaching for medical students increased from <1.0% of clinical teaching in 1968 to 13.0% by 2008; since then, the percentage has plateaued. The total amount of general practice teaching per student has fallen by 2 weeks since 2002. Medical schools providing financial data delivered 14.6% of the clinical curriculum and received 7.1% of clinical teaching funding. The number of departments of general practice has halved since 2002. Provision of postgraduate teaching has tripled since 2000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current levels of undergraduate teaching in general practice are too low to fulfil future workforce requirements and may be falling. Financial support for current teaching is disproportionately low and the mechanism counterproductive. Central intervention may be required to solve this.
authors.affiliation: University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.affiliation: University College London Medical School, London.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.affiliation: ST2 in general practice, Health Education South-West, Exeter.
authors.forename: Marwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Seaidy
authors.affiliation: University of Exeter, Exeter.
authors.forename: Denis Pereira
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McKinley
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: cost; general practice; medical students; primary healthcare; teaching; workforce