title: Research tasks as part of the general practice clerkship in undergraduate medical education - a pilot project on feasibility and acceptance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the integration of a research task performed by students during their two-week clerkship in general practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students were assigned to interview five patients with coronary heart disease using a standardised questionnaire focusing on potential interaction of medications with statins. Acceptance and feasibility was assessed by means of a questionnaire survey of teaching physicians (n = 20) and students (n = 20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to most teaching physicians and students the recruitment of patients during the two-week clerkship was possible, and the practice work flow was not disturbed by the project. Both groups considered the research task on the documentation of potential drug interactions with statins as suitable. According to the teaching physicians the project had a learning effect for the students. In contrast, the students graded their learning effect less highly between 'satisfactory' and 'sufficient'. The overall assessment of the project by the students was on average 'satisfactory' and differed from the assessment by the teaching physicians ('good').
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adequate informing of students and participating physicians about the nature of the project and presenting preliminary results of the data in a plenary session at the end of the clerkship are essential for the acceptance of such projects.
authors: a Institute of General Practice and Interprofessional Care, University Hospital Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Moßhammer
authors: b Department of Clinical Pharmacology , University Hospital Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Mörike
authors: a Institute of General Practice and Interprofessional Care, University Hospital Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.
authors: Gernot
authors: G
authors: Lorenz
authors: a Institute of General Practice and Interprofessional Care, University Hospital Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.
authors: Stefanie
authors: S
authors: Joos
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
keywords: Undergraduate medical education; general practice; research competencies