11th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

Bled, Slovenia: September 3 - 7, 2002

LEARNING AND TEACHING ABOUT
MEDICAL ERRORS
IN GENERAL/FAMILY PRACTICE

PATRONAGE
The course is organised under the patronage of the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice (EURACT)and with the support of the EURACT service function task force. EURACT council members also serve as additional resource persons.

INTRODUCTION
Today's physicians are faced with an increasing pressure to work effectively and without mistakes. The pressure from the public is increasingly challeging.It is obvious that medical errors are a part of doctor's reality and increasingly expersts agree that a rational and systematic approach to this matter is necessary. Strategies for dealing with medical errors already exist, but they are not universally known nor universally applicable. The challenge how to teach about medical errors in a GP setting is an important one. General practice/family medicine has a developed specific approaches how to deal with the many aspects of medical errors that frequently occur in practice. The teaching methods how to convey these approaches to students, trainees and experienced doctors are not universally known and need to be adapted to the situation where the doctor practises.

SPONSORSHIP
A limited number of sponsored places is available through EURACT scholarship programe. For information contact dr. Egle Zebiene (egzeb@smc.lt)

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
At the end of the course the participants will be able to:

• Understand the extent of the problem of medical errors
• Understand medical errors in the context of his/her everyday routine and principles of general practice
• Use strategies for dealing with medical errors in his/her practice
• Apply the strategies in a practical situation
• Develop a teaching strategy for medical errors in general practice that can be used in his/her country

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course is aimed at general practitioners involved in teaching general practice and will be held in English. It will be based on presentations by experts, group work and open discussion in small groups and plenaries. The participants will be supplied with course material in advance. A EURACT certificate will be issued to the participants at the end of the course.

GENERAL INFORMATION
The course will be held in Bled,Slovenia. Bled is a tourist resort in the northwest of Slovenia and is easily accessible by car, train or plane. The course fee is set at 200 EURO and will include course material, organization of the course and the participation in social events. There is a 40 EURO reduction of the course fee for EURACT members.