Serving the needs of our future population

Less than 30% of doctors, across The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and within the UK are currently working in generalist careers. Our population is ageing and increasingly, multi-morbidity is becoming the norm rather than the exception. With an increasing proportion of graduates opting for specialist careers, how can we best equip them to deal with the challenges they are likely to face without an exponential rise in the cost of care or increasing risk to patients? We propose an approach by which community placements are present from the early years of medical training and to seek opportunities for interprofessional learning and teaching, with emphasis on continuity of care and holism. By involving students in longitudinal placements and encouraging them to develop relationships with patients and their carers, they will be more likely to understand the value of continuity and the need to undertake a whole person approach, rather than what Oldham described as ‘body part’ medicine. It is hoped that through teaching, training, and role modelling, more students might opt for generalist careers, or the effects of increasing specialisation might be mitigated.