Doctor surgeries suitable for medical students

SOME 10 per cent of patients expressed concern about having medical students present during a GP consultation, new research has found.

However, the study by researchers from University College Cork (UCC), published in the current issue of Forum, the journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners, shows that three-quarters of the 91 patients surveyed would be willing to be seen by a student before being seen by their GP.

A questionnaire was sent to 13 general practices involved in the teaching of fourth-year medical students at UCC and distributed to a group of patients who were seen by a doctor with a medical student present as well as to a control group who were seen by their doctor only.

Reasons for concern about student participation included knowing the student personally, confidentiality and the presence of male students during consultations with female patients.

The issue of obtaining consent emerged as a concern for a small number of respondents. Requesting permission for student involvement at the reception desk was suggested as preferable to being asked by the doctor in front of the student.

Micheline McCarthy and her co-authors say “consent should be sought in advance of the consultation and also when the nature of the consultation changes”.

“It may also be necessary to remind patients that their consultation is confidential in order to allay any concerns arising due to the student’s presence.”

They point to the finding that 88 per cent of respondents would be willing to see a student in the future as an affirmation of the role of the GP setting as a suitable teaching environment for medical students.