Learning about general practice through qualitative interviews: Lessons from a seminar course with medical students

Abstract

Background: A seminar course was developed in order to train medical students in qualitative research methods, while providing an introduction to the field of General Practice. Students were enabled to conduct semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (GPs), during which they learned about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of frequently encountered medical problems. The course was carried out four times at two universities in Germany.Aims: The study explores the students’ learning experiences focusing on their research experience.Methods: Data were collected in four focus groups and analyzed.Results: The students perceived the course as very different from their usual medical education. This was appreciated, but also caused some difficulties. Three themes emerged: (1) Missing ‘facts’, (2) New horizons: ‘Thinking outside the box’, and (3) The challenge of interpretation: ‘Reading between the lines’.Conclusions: Learning qualitative research methods can be particularly challenging for medical students as the tasks and epistemology of qualitative research run counter to the usual learning formats and research paradigms in medical education. When teaching qualitative research, special care should be taken to address the cognitive dissonance experienced by students and to explain the unique contribution of qualitative research to medical practice and the field of General Practice especially.