[Detecting doubts and training needs of family doctors of a health centre].

OBJECTIVE: To detect doubts and training needs in an urban health and family doctor training centre during the usual practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted for one month in an urban health centre in Madrid. Family doctors were interviewed after their daily clinics about the doubts they had identified, choosing two of them. Unresolved questions were grouped by subject and according to the current taxonomies. A teaching program was then developed to tackle them.

RESULTS: Out of a total 21 physicians of the centre, 19 attended 10,678 patients during the period. The doubt detection rate was 0.44 doubts for every 10 patients attended. Of the 384 questions chosen, 83.34% were clinical and 16.66% were non-clinical. Just over half (51.2%) of these were still unresolved 15days later the consultation event. The main methods for their resolution were using the scientific bases on the internet (mainly PubMed, UpToDate and Clinical Practice Guidelines; 38%), followed by consultation with other colleagues (34.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: Most of the doubts generated during clinics were clinical, although there is a significant burden of bureaucratic questions. More than half of the doubts are not resolved during the consultation or within the following 15days. The scientific databases on the internet are the main sources of information, although consulting other colleagues was often used as well. Additional time for dealing with patients and enhanced access to solve complex questions should be available to improve the success rate.