Research and Evaluation Unit | ReCEnT
What is ReCEnT?
The GP Synergy Research and Evaluation Unit was launched in February 2016 with the finalisation of the agreement with the Department of Health to continue the longstanding Registrars’ Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) research project.
Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) research project
The Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) research project is a flagship general practice (GP) education and training project. It is the first of its kind to document Australian GP registrars’ educational and clinical experience over time by measuring:
- what registrars do, the types of patients and conditions they see and the advice they provide
- how registrars’ practice changes during their training.
Funded by the Department of Health, the project began as a pilot in 2009 by the former regional training provider General Practice Training – Valley to Coast, and has quickly grown to become a large collaborative venture with other Regional Training Organisations (RTOs) across Australia.
Since the project’s inception, more than 170,000 clinical encounters have been recorded from over 1220 registrars, enabling the research team to reach a critical point where they can design, deliver and evaluate educational interventions.
Why is ReCEnT important?
The project is invaluable to registrars, supervisors and practice managers in understanding registrars’ experiences, and areas of their practice that may need to change or improve.
Feedback reports are provided to participants and the data collected is analysed by the ReCEnT team at GP Synergy, and their collaborators, to provide insights into clinical or educational practice. Project data is being used by GP registrars, GP supervisors, medical examiners, and Australian and international experts in clinical or educational practice.
Papers and conference presentations based on ReCEnT data can be found here.
How does ReCEnT work?
Over the course of their GP training terms, registrars in selected GP Synergy subregions complete encounter forms for 60 consecutive consultations.
GP registrars are provided with a Registrar Feedback Report that compares their consultations to the larger group of registrars and, in some cases, national GP data.
Registrars are encouraged to share this information with their supervisors, to help remedy in gaps in their areas of learning. Practices also receive an Annual Practice Report when more than five registrars have participated in the program at their practice, providing insight into registrars’ clinical exposure and aspects of their clinical and educational experience.
