Why an attachment to general practice is not an adequate substitute for a structured programme: a qualitative approach

The Leeuwenhorst definition of the work of the general practitioner represe nts the gold standard for educational aims in general practice. ne majority of educational programmes in Europe have developed front unstructured atta chment, towards structured experiences in practice. ne question arises as t o what kind of educational aims students achieve by being attached to a gen eral practitioner without a structured programme. A total of 166 reports fr om attachments in general practice were analysed in a qualitative way. The keywords describing the necessary skills of the general practitioner were u sed as a standard with which the reports were compared. All of the areas fr om the definition were identified by at least one student but overall clini cal skills predominate, while communication and organizational skills were rarely identified. Attachment to general practice is not an adequate substi tute for an organized family practice curriculum since students fail to rec ognize important skills necessary for the work of a general practitioner.