Increasing GP supervisor research skills : enhancing clinical practice and teaching

Background: General practitioner (GP) supervisors have a central role in GP training. Despite critical thinking, research and evidence-based medicine being part of the GP training curriculum, GP supervisors are unlikely to have had much training or practical support to increase their use of research evidence or participate in research themselves, nor to model research activity to their registrars. Objective: This article discusses the needs, motivators and barriers to using and participating in research identified by 31 GP supervisors who attended research skills workshops in western Sydney, and potential strategies to increase their research engagement. Discussion: GP supervisors reported interest in increased research engagement, particularly through efficient use of research evidence to guide practice and teaching, and through input into regional research priority setting. They believed training and practical support through regional training providers, universities and Medicare Locals was needed and would allow interested teaching practices to collaborate as practice-based research networks.