We describe a model, for which the mnemonic, P-R-A-C-T-I-C-A-L, will help the practitioner to remember its nine steps. The model uses a chronological succession of strategies during the consultation that balances the voices of medicine and the lifeworld. In overview, the GP takes the patient, step by step, first through an exploration and clarification of his views of the illness, then expands the problem by further examination (e.g. the physical examination), a negotiation about the final model of the illness that includes both diagnosis and management, a discussion of the treatment plan, and finally a moment of reflection to prepare for the next visit.

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This 'experimental consultation procedure' constitutes a new research method, at the interface between educational and traditional scientific research. The process in question is a feed-back one, in which findings can be applied and tested instantly, or with little delay, to produce new results. These can be put to use in practical clinical work and tested in new 'laboratory experiments'.

In the first year of the medical curriculum at the University of Copenhagen, a new discipline has been introduced, in which general practice has the key position in providing experiences of early patient contact to the students. The course consists of three principal elements: student-patient contacts in the patient's home; lessons with the general practitioner; and lessons at the Institute of General Practice. The compulsory course is completed by a student's report, and the first course has been evaluated by qualitative analysis of these reports and by questionnaires to the students and GPs. The results indicate that it is possible to provide considerable improvement of the medical education as regards communication skills and understanding of the patients' perceptions, by letting the student establish contact with a patient in the very beginning of the curriculum. General practice provides an appropriate setting for this education for both teachers and patients.

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