From: Medical students’ perceptions and attitudes about family practice: a qualitative research synthesis
Study | Country | Methodology | Type of study | Technique | Phenomenon of interest | Participants | Analysis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tolhurst [16] 2005 | Australia | Qualitative: phenomenology* | Descriptive* | Focus groups | Factors influencing career interests of medical students. | 81 first and final year medical students. (36 male, 46 female). Three universities | Interpretative. Thematic analysis. |
Saigal [17] 2007 | Japan | Qualitative: phenomenology* | Descriptive* | Semi-structured interviews (students), informal interviews (academic faculty). Field notes. | Factors influencing medical specialty preference in Japan. Understanding of family medicine, primary care and subspecialty practice. | 25 medical students or 3rd to 6th year. (17 male, 8 female). One university | Interpretative. Thematic analysis.* |
Scott [18] 2007 | Canada | Qualitative: phenomenology. | Descriptive | Focus groups Individual interviews | Factors influencing medical students regarding a career in family medicine. | 33 medical students: end of preclinical years and end of the clinical years. (6 male, 27 female). Three universities | Interpretative. Thematic analysis. |
Thistlethwaite [19] 2008 | Australia | Qualitative: phenomenology | Exploratory-interpretative | Semi-structured phone interviews | Factors that influence students and junior doctors to choose or reject a career in general practice. | 13 medical students (3 male, 10 female), 5 junior doctors, 5 general practice registrars, 15 general physicians. One university. | Interpretative. Thematic analysis. |
López-Roig [20] 2010 | Spain | Qualitative: case based research. Phenomenology | Interpretative | Focus groups Documental analysis | Explore the reputation of and professional identification processes with family medicine practice among students. | 48 students: 27 2nd year medical students, 21 6th year medical students. One university | Interpretative. Discursive thematic analysis.* |
Hogg [21] 2008 | United Kingdom | Mixed: qualitative interactionist and quantitative. | Exploratory, descriptive and interpretative | Focus groups Questionnaires | Factors influencing medical students regarding a career in general practice. | 30 final year medical students after a general practice module: 15 took part in the focus groups. | Interpretative. Framework analysis. |
Edgcumbe [22] 2008 | United Kingdom | Qualitative: framework system | Exploratory | Semi-structured interviews. Nominal groups | Views about general practice as a potential career and factors shaping them. | 27 final year medical students (7 male, 8 female). 15 interviewed and 12 formed the nominal group. | Interpretative. Framework system. |
Chirk-Jenn 2005 [23] | Malaysia | Qualitative: interpretative description. | Exploratory | Focus groups | Perceptions of medical students towards primary care and factors that influence them. | 33 final year medical students (21 male, 12 female). Two universities. | Thematic analysis. |
Firth 2007 [24] | United Kingdom | Qualitative: phenomenology | Exploratory | Semi-structured interviews | Views of undergraduate students on their experiences of learning in primary care in a curriculum with a strong community base. | 11 medical students from 3rd to 5th course (6 male, 5 female) | Interpretative. Thematic analysis. Grounded Theory. |
Mutha 1997 [25] | USA | Qualitative: phenomenology | Descriptive | Focus groups, two individual interviews, surveys. | To identify beliefs and values that influence career decisions of medical students. | 52 medical students from 4th to 5th course (25 male, 27 female). Three medical schools. | Content and thematic analysis. |