Students' performing of practical research tasks for their scientific qualification - an approach within the family practice internship in undergraduate education

Background: Future physicians should be educated in evidence-based medicine. So it is of growing importance for medical students to acquire both practical medical and basic research competencies. However, possibilities and concepts focusing on the acquisition of basic practical research competencies during undergraduate medical studies in Germany are rare. Therefore the aim of this article is to develop a didactic and methodological concept for research-based teaching and learning based on the initial results from the block placement in general practice. Methods: Connecting medical didactic approaches with classic educational control measures (knowledge, acceptance and transfer evaluation, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation). Results: We describe the steps for implementing a research task into the block placement in general practice. Also stressed is the need to develop didactic material and the introduction of structural changes. Furthermore, these steps are integrated with the individual educational control measures. A summary serves to illustrate the learning and teaching concept (Block Placement Plus). Conclusion: The conceptualisation of the Block Placement Plus leads to changes in the daily life routine of medical education during the undergraduate block placement in general practice. The concept can in principle be transferred to other courses. It may serve as an instrument for teachers within the framework of a longitudinal curriculum for the scientific qualification of medical students.