Introduction: There is a dearth of published literature on the organisation of family medicine/general practice undergraduate teaching in the former Yugoslavia.
Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was sent to the addresses of 19 medical schools in the region. Questions covered the structure of Departments of Family Medicine (DFM), organisation of teaching, assessment of students and their involvement in departmental activities.
Results: Thirteen medical schools responded, of which twelve have a formal DFM. Few DFM have full-time staff, with most relying upon external collaborators. Nine of 13 medical schools have family doctors teaching other subjects, covering an average of 2.4 years of the medical curriculum (range: 1-5). The total number of hours dedicated to teaching ranged from 30 - 420 (Md 180). Practice-based teaching prevails, which is conducted both in city and rural practices in over half of the respondent schools. Written exams are conducted at all but two medical schools, with the written grade contributing between 30 and 75 percent (Md=40%) of the total score. Nine medical schools have a formal method of practical skills assessment, five of which use Objective Structured Clinical Examinations. Student participation is actively sought at all but three medical schools, mainly through research.
Conclusion: Most medical schools of the former Yugoslavia recognise the importance of family medicine in undergraduate education, although considerable variations exist in the organisation of teaching. Where DFM do not exist, we hope our study will provide evidence to support their establishment and the employment of more GPs by medical schools.
Uvod: V državah nekdanje Jugoslavije je zelo občutno pomanjkanje literature o organizaciji dodiplomskega izobrazevanja na področju družinske medicine.
Metode: Polstrukturiran vprašalnik smo posredovali na naslove 19 medicinskih fakultet. Vprašalnik je vseboval vprašanja o strukturi kateder za družinsko medicino, organizaciji izobraževanja, ocenjevanju študentov in njihovi vključenosti v dejavnosti kateder.
Rezultati: Odzvalo se je 13 fakultet, od tega jih ima 12 uradno katedro za družinsko medicino. Le nekaj kateder za družinsko medicino ima zaposleno osebje za polni delovni čas, večina pa se zanaša na zunanje sodelavce. Devet od 13 medicinskih fakultet zaposluje družinske zdravnike za poučevanje drugih predmetov, kar pokriva v povprečju 2,4 let medicinskega učnega načrta (razpon: 1-5). Celotno število ur, ki je posvečeno izobraževanju, se giblje med 30 in 420 (Md 180). Prevladuje izobraževanje, ki temelji na praksi, in se opravlja v mestnem okolju in na ruralnih območjih v več kot polovici fakultet, ki so se odzvale. Pisni preizkusi znanja se opravljajo na vseh fakultetah, razen dveh, pisna ocena pa prispeva k celotni oceni od 30 do 75 odstotkov (Md=40 %). Devet medicinskih fakultet uporablja uradno metodo za ocenjevanje praktičnih sposobnosti, pet od teh pa posega tudi po objektivno strukturiranem kliničnem preverjanju (Objective Structure Clinical Examination, OSCE). Aktivno sodelovanje študentov je zaželeno v vseh, razen na treh fakultetah, predvsem na raziskovalnem področju.
Zaključek: Večina medicinskih fakultet iz držav nekdanje Jugoslavije prepoznava pomembnost družinske medicine v dodiplomskem izobraževanju, čeprav obstaja veliko različic pri sami organizaciji poučevanja. Upamo, da bo naša študija prispevala k ustanavljanju kateder za družinsko medicino in k večjemu zaposlovanju splošnih zdravnikov na medicinskih fakultetah.
Keywords: The Split Initiative; family medicine; former Yugoslavia; general practice; undergraduate teaching.