A survey of postgraduate education programmes and research interests of GPs in community trusts in an inner city area

Following discussions with medical lecturers in a postgraduate centre, a qu estionnaire was sent to all the general practitioners (GPs) in three select ed Community Trusts in an inner city area; Besides their qualifications and research interests, the GPs were asked for their views on continuing educa tion. The results showed that opportunities for collaborative education wit h other members of the primary care groups (PCGs) would be possible if it f ocused on research methods and 'Health of the Nation' targets. The results showed that up to 61% of the GPs who responded had carried out research and had collaborated with nurses on the research projects. There was considera ble variation across the Community Trusts in relation to the experience and interests of the GPs, The formation of the PCGs and joint commissioning offered an excellent oppo rtunity for both collaborative educational opportunities and research. As t he interests of the GPs is so diverse, some thought about consolidating and harnessing their interests and expertise in order to influence local and n ational research agendas may be of value.