General practitioner registrars' opinions of general practice training in ophthalmology: a questionnaire survey in the northern region.

Purpose: Approximately 6% of general practitioners have worked in ophthalmology but to our knowledge the relevance of this training has not previously been evaluated.

Methods: We sent an anonymous questionnaire to all doctors who had held general practitioner registrar (vocational training) posts in ophthalmology in the Northern Region during a 5-year period (1989-1994).

Results: Twenty-six of 48 (54%) questionnaires were returned. Twenty-five of 26 respondents (96%) thought the training was useful, with 22 (91.7%) continuing to use some ophthalmic practical skills and 17 (65.4%) said they had received adequate and relevant clinical exposure. Twenty-one (87.5%) of those in general practice felt that they were more confident with eye problems than their peers and 12 (50%) said their referral patterns differed. Eleven (46%) had provided advice for colleagues. However, 9 (34.6%) commented on the large service commitment and 5 (19%) felt that supervision had been inadequate. Only 9 (34.6%) had received relevant teaching and 18 (69%) thought more was necessary.

Conclusion: We conclude that general practitioner registrar posts in ophthalmology are useful and rewarding but that there is scope for improvement.