General practitioner residents’ experiences and perceptions of outpatient training in primary care settings in China: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: The implementation of outpatient training in primary care settings is an essential part of residency training for general practitioner (GP) residents. However, limited research exists on their experiences and perceptions of this training. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of GP residents regarding outpatient training in primary care settings in China and provide insights and recommendations to enhance training quality. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study employing in-depth interviews. SETTING: Two community healthcare centres (CHCs) that implement outpatient training programmes for GP residents in Zhejiang Province, China. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 20 GP residents affiliated with 14 CHCs and two hospitals across Zhejiang Province and Guizhou Province who had completed outpatient training in either CHC for over 1 month. RESULTS: Of the 20 participants in this study, 11 (55%) were women, and the mean age was 28 years. GP residents completed the process of consultation, physical examination and therapy independently; subsequently, the community preceptors provided feedback based on their clinical performance and modelled their clinical skills. The benefits perceived by GP residents included improved clinical skills and confidence in practice, and they learned approaches to maintaining good relationships with patients. They preferred dealing with complex cases, discussions with peers and the indirect supervision of community preceptors in the training session. Residents recommended that measures be taken to improve the training quality regarding patient selection and recruitment, clinical skills in the training session, and assessment of clinical performance. CONCLUSIONS: The outpatient training in primary care settings provides constructive opportunities for GP residents to improve their professional competencies. Although the current training sessions and the abilities of community preceptors largely satisfy the needs of GP residents, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of training and explore approaches to improve its quality.