Using the first consultation in acute illness for teaching third year medical students.

We have introduced clinical teaching in general practice for students in their first clinical year. The students are present at the patient's initial consultation for an acute illness and thus see a wide range of morbidity which is seldom found in hospital. Log books are used to record such factors as the patient's presenting complaint, the diagnosis that is made and the presence of significant social and psychological aspects of the physical condition. Although there were only four two-hour teaching sessions, the frequency and the range of presenting complaints seen by students approximates to that in general practice. The opinions of both the tutors and the students to this form of teaching have been favourable.