Are medical educators in general practice untapped potential to increase training capacity in sexual and reproductive healthcare? Results of a survey in London, UK
Author(s)
Ma, R
Shah, R
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Long waiting times for training in sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) including long acting reversible contraception (LARC) might lead to attrition from training programmes, leading to reduced capacity for sexual health services, and reduced access to such contraception for women.
Setting
General practice in London, UK.
Question
Can medical educators in general practice be used as untapped potential to train other health care professionals in sexual and reproductive healthcare?
Method
We conducted an online survey to find out the qualifications, skills and willingness of established educators in primary care in London to train other clinicians in sexual and reproductive healthcare, including LARC.
Results
We received 124 responses from medical educators (10.1% response rate from general practitioner (GP) trainers and 59.0% of clinical supervisors for Foundation Year doctors). 86 (69.9%) had diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (DFSRH) qualification and further 18 (14.6%) were interested in obtaining this qualification. Eleven respondents were trained to fit intrauterine contraception only, three for contraceptive implants only and 37 were trained to fit both. 50 (40.3%) of 124 respondents were willing get involved in DFSRH training; 74% of these were willing to teach on any component of DFSRH including LARC.
Discussion
There is a shortage of training places and long waiting list for clinicians who wish to train in SRH. This survey suggests there is a pool of GP educators with skills and experience in SRH and are willing to train others. This can potentially increase the training capacity and improve overall access to good contraception and LARC for women.
Keywords: Contraception, professional education, general practice, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases
Impact statement
Strategies to reduce unplanned pregnancies and abortions must include timely access to information and wide range of contraception including LARC for women. Improving access to timely care can be accomplished by ensuring there are adequate numbers of healthcare professionals trained to provide SRH and LARC.
Long waiting times for training in sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) including long acting reversible contraception (LARC) might lead to attrition from training programmes, leading to reduced capacity for sexual health services, and reduced access to such contraception for women.
Setting
General practice in London, UK.
Question
Can medical educators in general practice be used as untapped potential to train other health care professionals in sexual and reproductive healthcare?
Method
We conducted an online survey to find out the qualifications, skills and willingness of established educators in primary care in London to train other clinicians in sexual and reproductive healthcare, including LARC.
Results
We received 124 responses from medical educators (10.1% response rate from general practitioner (GP) trainers and 59.0% of clinical supervisors for Foundation Year doctors). 86 (69.9%) had diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (DFSRH) qualification and further 18 (14.6%) were interested in obtaining this qualification. Eleven respondents were trained to fit intrauterine contraception only, three for contraceptive implants only and 37 were trained to fit both. 50 (40.3%) of 124 respondents were willing get involved in DFSRH training; 74% of these were willing to teach on any component of DFSRH including LARC.
Discussion
There is a shortage of training places and long waiting list for clinicians who wish to train in SRH. This survey suggests there is a pool of GP educators with skills and experience in SRH and are willing to train others. This can potentially increase the training capacity and improve overall access to good contraception and LARC for women.
Keywords: Contraception, professional education, general practice, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases
Impact statement
Strategies to reduce unplanned pregnancies and abortions must include timely access to information and wide range of contraception including LARC for women. Improving access to timely care can be accomplished by ensuring there are adequate numbers of healthcare professionals trained to provide SRH and LARC.
Date Issued
2016-08-01
Date Acceptance
2016-08-01
Citation
London Journal of Primary Care, 2016, 8 (5), pp.85-90
ISSN
1757-1472
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Start Page
85
End Page
90
Journal / Book Title
London Journal of Primary Care
Volume
8
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Publication Status
Published