Early student-patient contacts in general practice: An approach based on educational principles

Background: Clinical teaching and learning is generally seen as an educationally Sound approach, but the clinical environment does not always offer optimal conditions to facilitate students' learning processes. Aims: To show how insights on constructing a good learning environment for student-patient contacts in real practice can he translated into an Undergraduate clinical general practice programme in Year 3 and to Study its feasibility. Method: Literature search. yielding starting points for the development of the new programme and questionnaire evaluation of the programme. Results: Six starting points for,I good learning environment for early student-patient contacts: Continuing exposure to patients, transformation of experience into knowledge, active role of students, supervision and feedback. time and space for reaching and teacher training were translated into I the new programme. The evaluation showed that the programme was feasible and well received by Students and GPs, although some improvements are possible. Conclusion: In a curriculum with clear goals for early student-patient contacts, it is feasible to implement an early clinical programme in general practice h based Oil educational principles.