OPENING PANDORA BOX - PATIENTS ATTITUDES TOWARDS TRAINEES

This study set out to establish patients' attitudes towards GP trainee s and to determine if patient age, sex, a history of having previously attended a GP trainee and practice location affected these attitudes. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to each of the 10 trainin g practices of the 1991-1992 Dublin GP Vocational Training Scheme. The questionnaires, which were completed anonymously, consisted of six st atements regarding trainees which were answered on a five point Likert scale. A further question enquired about patient preference regarding type of doctor for six clinical scenarios. A total of 1510 completed questionnaires were returned (75%). More than three-quarters of patien ts expect the usual standard of care when seeing a trainee and 91% con sider it advantageous for a practice to have a trainee. A third consid er home visits by trainees to be less satisfactory than those performe d by the usual doctor. A third would not feel as comfortable with the trainee as with their usual doctor and 41% would prefer to see their u sual doctor after seeing the trainees. Few expressed a preference to s ee the trainee for five out of the six clinical scenarios. The excepti on was consultations regarding gynaecological problems. Negative attit udes towards trainees were significantly increased amongst urban pract ices, patients over 40 and those who had not previously attended a tra inee. Patients have definite attitudes towards trainees. These attitud es are negatively affected by patient age greater than 40, a history o f not previously attending a trainee and an urban practice location. T hese results have implications for the training of future general prac titioners. How they can be best addressed merits further discussion.