Attitudes of medical students to a family attachment scheme.

A family attachment scheme is described, in which a few fourth-year students followed-up the babies they delivered during their obstetric training until the final year of study. Fifth-year students visited families of a normal newborn infant or a child who had presented with an illness or abnormality until the end of their final year. Some students felt that the project had been worth while, while others thought that it was pointless. Families visited by the students thought the scheme had been beneficial, mainly because the student was somebody they could talk to about their problems.