Patients' assessment of trainee general practitioners.

To determine patients' attitudes to their involvement in assessment of trainee and qualified general practitioners, and their preferences for the methods currently used, a closed-question questionnaire was distributed for self- completion to 300 patients, randomly selected from the waiting areas of three training practices and one non-training practice in the West of Scotland. Most (208) of the 266 patients who responded were comfortable with the idea of being involved in the training and assessment of general practitioners. Patients have clear views and preferences, and it would be wrong to disregard them.