Review of Final-Year Medical Students' Rural Attachment at District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal: Student Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the views of students involved in rural community-based medical attachments during their final year at medical school. The programme has been in existence for some time; but no formal evaluation thereof has yet taken place. This paper describes the first two phases of what is described as a quality improvement project namely to describe the problem state and to discuss possible activities to improve the programme.Design; setting and subjects: The study adopted a mixture of quantitative and qualitative type research. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire which students at Nelson R Mandela Medical School; University of KwaZulu-Natal; completed at the end of their Family Medicine rotation. Consent was obtained from the participants and ethical approval granted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal Humanities and Social Science Ethics Committee.Results: Students were generally positive about their rural attachment experience. The majority (86) believed that their skills adequately prepared them to enter the community. Allocation of a supervisor and rostering were found to be of great importance. Academic activities provided adequate learning opportunities. The majority (76) of students who used hospital accommodation found it to be satisfactory; although it was an area that needed attention. Technological support was lacking. Fewer than 50of students had access to such facilities.Conclusion: Students' responses were generally positive about the rural attachment experience; but logistical and technological support issues; as well as that of accommodation; need to be addressed if the programme is to flourish. Community-based education in a rural district hospital can provide unique learning opportunities for students if the opportunities are identified and the programme is well managed