Abstract

The General Medical Council recommended changes in the medical curricula of UK universities in 1993. Consequently, the University of Aberdeen designed a new course to introduce 'health and normality' through group work, community-based teaching and early patient contact. To ascertain the views of general practitioners (family physicians) on their experience of tutoring on, their attitudes towards, and perceptions of, the new course, they were surveyed by means of a small-scale questionnaire study followed by semi-structured interviews. These showed that they generally enjoyed tutoring and appreciated the students' opportunity for early patient contact and the emphasis on group work. However, constraints on teaching accommodation in the community and general practitioners' time need to be borne in mind when designing a community-based curriculum, in order to maintain overall quality, and tutors' motivation and enthusiasm.