Exposure to Primary Healthcare for Medical Students: Experiences of Final-Year Medical Students
S. Afr. fam. pract. (2004, Online)
; 52(5): 467-470, 2010.
Artículo
en Inglés
| AIM (África)
| ID: biblio-1269897
Biblioteca responsable:
CG1.1
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Recognising the importance of primary healthcare in the achievement of the 1997 White Paper for the Transformation of the Health System and the Millennium Development Goals; the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand introduced an integrated primary care (IPC) block. In a six-week final year preceptorship; medical students are placed in primary healthcare centres in rural and underserved areas. This article describes the experiences of medical students during their six weeks in the IPC block.Methods:
The study was qualitative; based on data collected from the logbooks completed by the students during the IPC rotation. A total of 192 students were placed in 10 health centres in the North West and Gauteng provinces in the 2006 academic year. These centres included district hospitals; clinics and NGO community health centres.Results:
The students reported that the practical experience enhanced their skills in handling patients in primary care settings. They developed an appreciation of primary healthcare as a holistic approach to healthcare. The students attained increased levels of confidence in handling undifferentiated patients; and became more aware of community health needs and problems in health service delivery.Conclusions:
Exposure to the IPC block provided a valuable experience for final-year students; as it is critical for orienting students to the importance of primary healthcare; which is essential for the realisation of targets identified in the national health policy
Texto completo:
Disponible
Contexto en salud:
ODS3 - Meta 3.8 Alcanzar cobertura universal de salud
Problema de salud:
Acuerdos de Gobernanza
Base de datos:
AIM (África)
Asunto principal:
Atención Primaria de Salud
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Estudiantes
/
Actitud
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Revelación
Tipo de estudio:
Investigación cualitativa
Idioma:
Inglés
Revista:
S. Afr. fam. pract. (2004, Online)
Año:
2010
Tipo del documento:
Artículo