Search

A survey of the education in terminal care received by a wide range of doctors in Scotland showed that clinical instruction in the physical and emotional aspects of the care of the dying had been generally inadequate, and that the educational influence of a special unit or hospice could be significant. Doctors who had undertaken traineeships in general practice tended to have had more comprehensive training in terminal care-and to be more enthusiastic about further education-than others. We conclude that planned vocational training schemes in all disciplines need to be re-examined for the provision they make for education in terminal care, and that continuing education in the subject may need to be improved for all doctors.

An extended course in general practice sponsored by regional advisers and university departments of general practice in Scotland, consisting of six sessions lasting two to four days interspersed with group discussion meetings and spread over a period of 18 months, is described and evaluated. Participants developed skills in teaching, confidence in group learning and insight into their abilities as teachers and organizers of training in general practice.