Evaluating the acceptance of the community on field training of medical students

ABSTRACT

Background: Training community-oriented general practitioners with the aims to provide the medical knowledge and skills of working in the community for medical students is appropriate with the socioeconomic context in Vietnam. Objectives: To evaluate the acceptance of the community in two districts Kim Bang (Ha Nam province) and Dong Hy (Thai Nguyen province) on field training for medical students. Subjects and method: The cross - sectional study was carried out on 300 households that were chosen randomly from 2 rural districts on April 2006. The heads of households were interviewed by open - ended questionnaires. Another 120 key informants from these two districts were invited to participate in a focus group discussion. Results: 81% of households voluntarily participated in the organization of field training for the medical students. More than 97% households paid attention to the medical students\u2019 information about health care and environmental hygiene. With medical community-based education, the people from communities receives\u2019 improvement in their knowledge of child care and personal hygiene in order to prevent diseases. Conclusion: Being exposed to health problems in communities, medical students can enhance their working and communication skills. People in the communities had a chance to improve their knowledge of disease preventions.