Mapping teaching and research activity in general practice

This paper maps the extent of involvement of 1031 general practices in the South and West health region of England in undergraduate medical student teaching, medical vocational training, continuing medical education, and research. More than half (56%) of the 1031 practices in the region are actively involved in either teaching or research. About 1 in 7 (15%) are involved in both teaching and research. All practices with a leading role in research are involved in teaching, but only about a third (35%) of practices with a leading role in teaching are involved in research. The geographical spread is better for teaching than research. The extent and geographical diversity of academic activity in general practice is an often unrecognised but extremely important aspect of primary care in the UK. It provides an unparalleled community-based resource for training with the potential to generate and disseminate knowledge about high quality clinical care