CeMENT: evaluation of a regional development programme integrating hospital and general practice clinical teaching for medical undergraduates

Objectives To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of shared hospita l and general practice clinical teaching for medical undergraduates. Design A multifaceted approach employing quantitative and qualitative techn iques. Setting All medical schools in North Thames Region. Subjects Students, GP tutors and hospital specialists. Results The model was successfully adopted in a broad range of clinical spe cialties in all of the participating medical schools, resulting in a doubli ng of the involvement of general practice in clinical teaching. Participati ng students provided an overwhelmingly positive evaluation of the attachmen ts and there was a clear perception of benefit amongst the participating GP s. However, the views of the participating hospital clinicians were less po sitive and the true nature and extent of the educational impact proved diff icult to assess. Conclusions This model of collaborative clinical teaching between hospital and general practice can be implemented in accordance with the project's ke y aims, but the enthusiastic involvement of hospital clinicians may be diff icult to secure.