Volume 6

LEADING ARTICLES

Who puts the value in evaluation?
John Cornell

Projects revisited
Graham Buckley

Relating local eduction to need: the GP tutor’s role
John Middleton

Portfolio based learning and the role of mentors
Roger Pietroni

How to lecture and survive?
Domhnall MacAuley

Continuing medical education in general practice: the North Devon model
Richard Westcott and Ian Lewin

ARTICLES

Developing communication skills
Michael Courtenay
Patients only become aware of their bodies when they develop symptoms. Doctors need to tune in to this awareness.

Evaluating teaching
John Pitts, David Percy and Colin Coles
Educational events can be evaluated with different degrees of sophistication. Those commissioning them should specify the evaluation they require.

The hospital component of general practice vocational training: persistent preventable problems?
Andrew Murphy
40 years ago the first British vocational training scheme was based entirely in the community. Isn’s it time to go back to that?

Chart stimulated recall: a technique to assess clinical competence and performance
Penny Jennett
An interview based on the clinical records can usefully assess a doctor’s performance. It could be used for formative or summative assessment and for re-certification.

Can trainee views improve training?
Richard Churchill and Anhony Avery
A trainee group regularly surveys the quality of local training practices. It helps to raise standards.

Interdisciplinary practice educational meetings - continuing education for the working primary health care team.
William Cunningham
A description of the educational programme of the primary health care team in one practice. It could form a model for us all.

The use of video recording in general practice education
Stephen Field
Here you will find a comprehensive reference list on the use of video recordings together with the latest GMC guidelines.

Be your own educational expert
Philip Nolan and Alison Evans
Modern educational ideas are introduces in an informal and easy going way. Several important clinical topics are covered as well.

Practice based education in the northern region of England
Stephen Sylvester
Practice educational meetings are alive and well in the northern region - at least in bigger practices and training practices.

Summative assessment - towards the trainer’s report
Martin Rhodes and William McN Styles
Here’s a model of how to do a trainer’s report in the new world. It only needs to test minimum competence.

Recertification of family physicians in the United States
Paul Young
The performance of American family phusicians declines with successive recertification examinations. Is this sensible?

Anytown medical group - an everyday tale from general practice
John Spencer
A workshop based on a ‘typical’ practice provides a useful introduction to audit and team working.

Looking back at 25 years of training
Denis Durno
A trainer surveys all his extrainees. Some of them look back on their training year in unexpected ways.

Identifying issues through role play in general practice training
Henry Tegner and David Misselbrook
Role play helps to focus discussion of ethical issues.

An integrated release programme using simulated patients
Christopher Holmwood, Chris Matthews, Susan Griffiths and Sue Hookey
Simulated patients feature prominently on the release course in South Australia. Both the trainees and the actors learn much from their work together.

Practice-based education meetings - their content, structure and format
Stephen Sylvester
Many practices in the northern region hold educational meetings. Their content is highly relevant, but how much learning takes place?

The use of drama to improve communication and consultation skills of trainee general practitioners
Stephen Field, David Jeffrey and Poly Wright
The use of actors allows trainees to approach role play wit more confidence.

The impacts of increased general practice teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum
Roger Higgs and Roger Jones
Transferring much more undergraduate teaching to general practice is highly desirable. But we must look before we leap - a lot of work needs to be done first.

Evaluation in setting up a large-scale educational programme - principles and problems
Penelope Turton and Andre Tylee
Evaluation should be an integral part of course planning. Some of the ideas for evaluating a national educational programme can be applied to smaller events.

Course organizer assessment - the West Midlands approach
Chris Ball and Shake Seigel
Assessment is the name of the game. Why should course organizers be excluded?

The calibre of applicants to the Northcumbria vocational training scheme
Iain Mungall and Elaine McColl
The number of applicants to the largest US vocational training scheme continues to decline but their quality does not.

Academic general practice - a trainee’s view
David Fitzmaurice
Combining a traineeship with a lectureship is very stimulating - but it has its drawbacks.

The NHS reforms: how much do medical students and general practitioners understand?
Karen Fairhurst
GPs are still angry about the NHS reforms - but do they really understand them?

Objective evaluation of teaching behaviour: a controlled trial
John Pitts and Colin Coles
Simulated patients are useful in assessing consultation. Why not a simulated learner to assess tutorials?

The development of an introductory distance learning training package for GP tutors
Iain Sidford
GP tutors’ learning needs have been surveyes and this programme should go a long way towards meeting them.

Evaluating PGEA events: a pilot project
Lizzie Shires, Brian Jolly and Richard Wakeford
Many PGEA accredited courses seem to show a scant regard for educational principles. Here are some ideas for improvement, including a model evaluation form for participants.

Breaking bad news: a workshop to enhance the skills of junior doctors
M Elan Preston-Whyte, Adrian Hastings and Robin Fraser
The constructive use of feedback led to a marked improvement in trainees’ skills at breaking bad news.

General practitioner trainee project: experiences and perceptions of trainees and trainers in Yorkshire
Alison Evans, William Hall, Philip Nolan, Andrew Belton and Bamie Bahrami
Registrars in Yorkshire are encouraged to complete projects. Many do but almost half doubt their value.

The concerns of trainees and course orgainzers about summative assesment in the north west region
Ivan Benett
The anxieties of ordinary trainers need to be considered if summative assessment of GP training is to work.

Evaluation of a drug and alcohol education programme for medical students
Andrea Mant, Mark Harris, John Firth, C Dimity Pond, Judy Norfor and Jenny Shaw
The use of role play was effective in helping students to learn how to deal with patients with drug and alcohol problems.

Teaching medical students about audit
Jill Morrison and Frank Sullivan
General practice is an ideal setting for students to learn about clinical audit.

TEACHING EXCHANGE

NEWS AND REVIEWS

A REGIONAL ADVISER’S DIARY

HASLAM ON EDUCATION

BOOKS