The objective assessment of general practitioners' educational needs: an under-researched area?

A systematic literature review of the educational needs assessment of gener al practitioners (GPs) is described. A total of 36 studies, based on the su bject of educational needs in primary care, were identified. The methods of searching and the difficulties in identifying papers on the chosen subject are discussed. Although there is an extensive literature on the reporting of the perception of GPs' learning needs, there have been relatively few st udies describing their objective evaluation. Seventeen papers on this subje ct are described, and it was found that questionnaires and structured inter views were the most usual method adopted. There is a case for developing an d evaluating a wider range of methods for assessing educational needs in pr imary care, particularly if the move towards portfolio-based learning is to gain momentum.