FOCUS GROUPS AS A PATH TO CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ACUTELY AND SEVERELY ILL CHILD

Objective - To identify elements of clinical information beyond the ar ea of knowledge presented in medical textbooks, but used by the genera l practitioner when confronted with the acutely and severely ill child . Design - Focus group approach. Setting - A course for teachers in Ge neral Practice at the Division for General Practice, University of Ber gen, Norway. Subjects - 25 experienced general practitioners serving a s clinical teachers at the Division for General Practice. Main outcome measures - Clinical descriptions arising from incident-based anecdote s and experiences. Results - Issues mere reported concerning the docto r's emotional reactions, cues from the parents of the child, atypical contact between doctor and child, cognitive discrepancies, and difficu lties in acting on cues. Conclusion - This material identifies element s of tacit clinical knowledge which may provide a basis for further an alysis and shared action.