Medical Students' Awareness and Interest towards Family Medicine at a Private Medical College in Karachi
Background: Family physicians constitute the fundamental core of the health system in many parts of the world. However, medical students’ diminishing interest in Family Medicine remains a challenge worldwide. Objective: To assess medical students’ awareness of the Family Medicine specialty and the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Liaquat National Journal of Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lnh.edu.pk/lnjpc/pdf/93acdca1-176e-4526-984f-fce886795e97.pdf |
| Summary: | Background: Family physicians constitute the fundamental core of the health system in many parts of the world. However,
medical students’ diminishing interest in Family Medicine remains a challenge worldwide.
Objective: To assess medical students’ awareness of the Family Medicine specialty and their interest towards selecting Family
Medicine as a career.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a private medical university in Karachi from January
2021 to June 2021. A total of 333 students from all 5 years of Medicine were given a structured self-administered questionnaire
assessing their awareness of Family Medicine, and their interest in it as a future career choice.
Results: Response rate was 100%. 91% of students had heard of Family Medicine, 80.8% knew it as a recognized specialty. 91.6%
knew family physicians treat individuals of all ages and gender. 88.9% knew family physicians provide comprehensive coordinated
care. 82.9% agreed Family Medicine should be taught in the undergraduate curriculum. 95.5% think family physicians can change
the healthcare system of Pakistan, and 54.1% have interest in Family Medicine as a future career choice. Among the top three
specialty choices, General Surgery ranked first, Emergency Medicine ranked second and Family Medicine ranked third.
Conclusion: To attract students to choose a career in Family Medicine, it needs to be an essential part of undergraduate medical
education. Career counselling, mentorship and role modelling can help foster interest among students in this field. |
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| ISSN: | 2707-3521 2708-9134 |