PORTFOLIO-BASED LEARNING - CONTINUING MEDICAL-EDUCATION FOR GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS - A MIDPOINT EVALUATION

In October 1994 a project was initiated by the General Practice Contin uing Medical Education Tutors in the Department of General Practice at Sheffield University. The project sought to evaluate the efficiency ( effort expended) and effectiveness (distance travelled) of a model of continuing professional development for general practitioners through individual portfolio-based learning in co-mentoring groups. Learning d emonstrated through the portfolio was accredited for the postgraduate education allowance of participants. This paper addresses the process of portfolio development at the mid-point of a year-long trial to asce rtain the strengths, weaknesses and possible future development of suc h a process within the context of continuing medical education.