Evaluation of a short course on diabetology for practising doctors.

A short course on Diabetology, attended by 83 doctors was evaluated. The doctors were divided into three groups. (Group I--basic qualification MBBS, Group II--MD in medicine or allied subject, Group III--Diploma in Diabetes Mellitus). The mean age group of all three groups were comparable. Pre-course evaluation of their knowledge of diabetes showed the best performance in Group III and poorest in Group I. Post-course evaluation showed significant improvement only in Group I and II. Maximal improvement in performance was seen in Group II. Mean time since passing the last professional examination was 14.8, 12.6 and 1.0 year respectively. The performance was not linked to time since passing the last examination. 14.5% of doctors were from a rural or semiurban setting. The precourse performance of rural doctors in the MD group was significantly poorer, but their post course performance was as good as the others. All doctors from rural or semiurban areas improved their performance postcourse, compared to 84% in the urban group. 74% of doctors had not attended any post graduate course after their basic degree. Their performance did not differ significantly from those who had attended such courses. 44.6% were Consultants, 26.6% were general practitioners, 12.0% were attached to institutions, 10.8% were in government service or armed forces and 6% were attached to teaching hospitals. The performance of the doctors was not linked to the type of practice. The doctors attending the course felt that the audiovisual presentation needed improvement.