Perception about community medicine: A mixed-method study among 1st year MBBS entrants of a private medical college of eastern India

Abstract

Introduction: The introduction of Community Medicine (CM) into medical curriculum dates back to 1955; from imparting training as a comprehensive healthcare provider, to the current National Medical Commission (NMC) goals of creating a physician of primary contact, the importance of the subject needs to be oriented to the students. The objective of the study was to assess the perception of 1st-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students about the subject CM. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted in a medical college in Eastern India; the college has an intake of 250 students annually. After ethics approval, using an embedded quantitative and qualitative mixed-method study design, data were collected, using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire, having sections on demographic information, and perception about CM, with both open-ended and closed-ended (a three-point Likert scale (Agree – 1, Don’t know – 2, and Disagree – 3) questions. Quantitative data were expressed as means, frequencies, and percentages and qualitative data as thematic content analysis. The data were analyzed using Epi Info software, version 7.3.2 (CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA). Results: Of the total 250 students, 237 participated, with a response rate of 94.8%. Their mean age was 19.03 ± 1.21 standard deviation years, and 45.57% were males. Four major themes emerged from the content analysis of perception – “treatment,” “prevention and awareness generation,” “community outreach,” and “health-workforce training.” Fifteen subthemes surfaced beneath the main themes. 96.20% had a positive attitude toward the subject; females had a better perception. Conclusion: Study findings showed that although there were a few negative perceptions about the subject, the majority had a positive one, signaling a welcome change. This goes in favor of the vision of NMC to have added the family-adoption program, help them to come in closer contact with the communities, learn to communicate with them, understand their health needs, and thereby become better doctors. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Practice-based learning and improvement, Medical knowledge, Systems-based practice, Interpersonal and communication skills, and Professionalism.