Assessment of Medical Students’ Knowledge and Capabilities to Provide Preventive Care: a Cross- Sectional Study in Casablanca, Morocco

Abstract

Background: Eighty percent of deaths in Morocco are attributable to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the estimated shortage in Moroccan healthcare workforce is below the WHO recommended limit. It is therefore crucial to prepare future physicians to meet national health priorities and respond to the high burden of NCDs. Our aim was to evaluate the perceptions of medical students on prevention and the areas of preventive medicine. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 5th year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Casablanca. Participants were invited to complete an anonymous pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire at the end of the 2020/2021 academic year. A hundred and twenty-three 5th year medical students were included in the study. Results: Fifty-five percent of students considered their knowledge in the field prevention to be average and 38% considered it to be insufficient. Around 70% of students felt that their knowledge about hypertension screening and the prevention of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) was good. However, 68% of participants felt that their knowledge about family planning was poor. Furthermore, 95% of the students declared having a high interest in prevention and 76% consider it to be very important in the training of general practitioners. However, only 52% felt capable of providing prevention advice to their patients. Conclusions: Our study revealed the need for more in-depth investigations regarding prevention in medical education and highlighted the need to strengthen medical students’ knowledge and capabilities in delivering preventive services to their patients.