Opening pandora’s box: Patients’ attitudes towards trainees

This study set out to establish patients’ attitudes towards GP trainees and to determine if patient age, sex, a history of having previously attended a GP trainee and practice location affected these attitudes. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to each of the 10 training practices of the 1991–1992 Dublin GP Vocational Training Scheme. The questionnaires, which were completed anonymously, consisted of six statements regarding trainees which were answered on a five point Likert scale. A further question enquired about patient preference regarding type of doctor for six clinical scenarios. A total of 1510 completed questionnaires were returned (75%). More than three-quarters of patients expect the usual standard of care when seeing a trainee and 91% consider it advantageous for a practice to have a trainee. A third consider home visits by trainees to be less satisfactory than those performed by the usual doctor. A third would not feel as comfortable with the trainee as with their usual doctor and 41% would prefer to see their usual doctor after seeing the trainees. Few expressed a preference to see the trainee for five out of the six clinical scenarios. The exception was consultations regarding gynaecological problems. Negative attitudes towards trainees were significantly increased amongst urban practices, patients over 40 and those who had not previously attended a trainee. Patients have definite attitudes towards trainees. These attitudes are negatively affected by patient age greater than 40, a history of not previously at tending a trainee and an urban practice location. These results have implications for the training of future general practitioners. How they can be best addressed merits further discussion.