Developing a teaching research culture for general practice registrars in Australia: a literature review

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the issues all general practice educators need to understand when educating GP registrars to learn about research. STUDY DESIGN: A review of MEDLINE [1996–2007], six websites and key informants produced 302 publications, which reduced to 35 articles, 7 books, and 9 policy documents. RESULTS: Key themes that emerged from a thematic analysis of the literature that GP educators need to consider when teaching registrars about research were [i] the need to understand that learning research is influenced by attitudes; [ii] the need to address organisational constraints on learning research; [iii] the need to identify the educational barriers on learning research; [iv] the need to understand there are gaps in GP research content – especially from GP registrars; And [v] the need to understand the value of research on the GP registrar's educational cycle of learning, which develops in a culture that allows research to flourish. CONCLUSION: Australian GP registrars will observe a research culture only if they encounter clinician-researchers paid to practice and conduct research in their general practice.