...to ask this of my GP?

[pcofmushu]

Hi all, this is my first post on here. Looking for some advice. I am studying a masters in Medical Law and Ethics and I will soon be writing my 15,000 word dissertation. I have chosen the area of law and medicine I wish to focus on for my research piece. I wondered if it would be OK/acceptable to ask my GP for some assistance, in the form of giving them a questionnaire to complete and me using their answers (anonymously) to reference and use as evidence & context for my topic.

I have quite a good relationship with my GP, they are very kind and friendly and we always have a bit of a laugh together whenever I'm in the surgery. Fortunately I don't have to go to the Doctors as a patient very often!

I know how much pressure they are all under but I also think if you don't ask you don't get. What are your thoughts? TIA x

Not unreasonable to ask, but I would be upfront rather than ask for an appt.
If they are feeling nice they might do it for free but also may charge you to do it.

I don’t think it’s right to ask. It’s an imposition on a busy person. Anyway, one response is hardly going to be sufficient as evidence. Speak to your supervisor about how to carry out a proper, ethical survey.

I think if you email/write to them with the request, detailing how many questions there are and an approximation of how long it would take them to complete and when you would need it by, they would be able to consider it and let you know if they are able to help.

It’s holiday time at the moment so there are additional pressures with partners & nursing staff off -so extra work-so you may not get a quick response but definitely worth asking.

Irrespective of whether they will or won't, I can't see it adding value to your dissertation? It will be anecdata relating to one GP in one geographical area, which is not evidence.

It could be a bit of a conflict asking this of your own GP - knowing that you, one of their own patients, will be reading the answers may well affect what they write - unless that’s the point and you’re looking for your particular doctors point of view for some reason.
You could ask your GP if he has any GP friends willing to do the survey for a £10 Amazon voucher or similar?

Have you gone through ethics to collect the data? You can’t do data collection for this without it and they may want you to do more than 1 unless it’s a case study…… part of that will be a full participant information sheet and consent form which You give the GP so they know what you are doing and what will happen with their answers

Also you don’t want your GP to feel bad or feel it would affect your relationship if you say no so be careful how you word the request.
You could ask reception if the GP does private work and what their rate is then offer to pay the same rate as other non-NHS work.

You would need to go through Ethics for anything involving collecting data from another person.

Asking from your own GP might well be met with a no given you have a clinical relationship with them. You would also need to show that the information you want can't be found in another way eg available from existing literature and that one survey of one GP was a useful contribution to knowledge.

I would have thought that your tutor would be in the best place to advise you on this.

I’m an academic but in a completely different subject, and I can’t imagine agreeing to supervise that. I also think ethics may have a problem with it. However, have a chat to your supervisor about the norms in your subject.

Before talking to them, you might want to consider what value one GP’s opinion will give to your dissertation, and if you do need a GP to fill in a survey, whether your own GP is the most suitable one to ask.

I appreciate that research ethics are different to medical ethics but it’s surprising you haven’t considered the issues with this and discounted it. An anonymous gp survey might be appropriate (depending on topic) but this absolutely isn’t (and as pp have said, is unlikely to add anything of value)

You would be better approaching your local medical post graduate education deanery and ask for them for advice. Asking your own GP wouldn’t be appropriate and thinking it might be is a little bit odd if you are doing a dissertation in medical ethics, I think ask your tutor for some guidance.

I think it’s inappropriate and I’m surprised your university would allow it. Have you asked your tutor about it? And what value would one gp’s answers have? None, apart from anecdotal.

Do you want them to be a research participant?

Re-reading this, surely you shouldn’t need to ask whether it’s appropriate or not. Is it not obvious? Your dissertation is actually on the subject of ethics.

Completely inappropriate

Inappropriate, ethically dubious

and the opinion/views of one medic is scientifically
meaningless & does not constitute evidence .

how have you got this far on your course without knowing this is completely inappropriate?! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Don’t do it. I’m a GP and we’re all exhausted. We’re trying to catch up with everything we didn’t do while we focussed on vaccinating, we’re trying to keep patients going who are on long hospital waiting lists, we’re dealing with normal stuff, and trying to manage the massive wave of mental health problems amongst our patients.
A questionnaire would just about finish me off.

What use would one response be?

why dont you post a link to your questionnaire on Mumsnet instead?

Univ lecturer here. You should have applied for ethical clearance before starting your research and spelled out exactly what kind of research you intend to do.
Your supervisor is the person to advise you here.

@Bagamoyo1

Don’t do it. I’m a GP and we’re all exhausted. We’re trying to catch up with everything we didn’t do while we focussed on vaccinating, we’re trying to keep patients going who are on long hospital waiting lists, we’re dealing with normal stuff, and trying to manage the massive wave of mental health problems amongst our patients. A questionnaire would just about finish me off.

This.

I'm also a GP and we're currently taking 5 weeks to do the genuinely important forms and reports - like mortgage life insurance forms.

I'd bounce this nonsense within 5 minutes of it going my desk.

Not sure thats the best way to select your sample.. maybe have a rethink

Maybe try emailing head of practice for several GP's in your area (not yours) with the attached form that can be emailed back?

That way there is no pressure and they can fill it in, in their own time if they wish to do so?