Clinical privileges for rural general practitioners.

Improved training programs and registrable qualifications are now available for graduates wishing to pursue a career in rural practice. In the near future, newly established rural doctors will be able to furnish documentation on substantial additional training, which will include competence in a range of procedural skills. In an environment of increasing regulation and litigation awareness, hospitals are developing systems for recognising the skills and experience of medical staff. However, most clinical privileges systems have been developed for larger hospitals and with procedural sub-specialists in mind. This paper proposes an approach to developing clinical privileges systems that are more appropriate to smaller rural hospitals, so that the skills of rural doctors are fully utilised by their communities.