Students' perceptions of general medicine following community-based medical education in rural Japan

Ryuichi Ohta; Yoshinori Ryu; Takuji Katsube; Yoshihiro Moriwaki; Jun Otani

doi:10.1002/jgf2.274

Students' perceptions of general medicine following community-based medical education in rural Japan

J Gen Fam Med. 2019 Sep 8;20(6):236-243. doi: 10.1002/jgf2.274. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Authors

Ryuichi Ohta¹, Yoshinori Ryu¹, Takuji Katsube¹, Yoshihiro Moriwaki², Jun Otani²

Affiliations

¹ Community Care Unnan City Hospital Unnan Japan.
² Surgery Unnan City Hospital Unnan Japan.

Abstract

Background: Japan's population is rapidly aging, and at the same time, the number of medical students interested in general or family medicine is declining. Community-based medical education (CBME) programs may be used to promote interest and competencies in general medicine among medical students.

Method: This mixed-method study investigated the perceptions of fifth- and sixth year undergraduate medical students who completed a two week CBME course in Unnan, a small city in rural Japan. The participants completed two survey questionnaires: (a) The achievement questionnaire administered pre- and posttraining, and (b) the curriculum content questionnaire administered posttraining. To understand the students' perceptions about general medicine further, semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant post-CBME training.

Results: The participants' ratings on the achievement survey improved significantly from pre- to posttraining. The average ratings for the curriculum content survey indicated that the educational objectives were met in all but one area. A qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed that the participants had little exposure to general medicine at their university hospital, and there was a lack of understanding in other medical professionals regarding the roles of general medicine physicians.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that there are educational gaps between medical universities and community hospitals regarding general medicine. Increased exposure, early exposure, and a clarification of the competencies were noted as areas to improve the students' understanding of general medicine. Undergraduates should be exposed to general medicine more frequently and from early training stages through effective collaborations between universities and hospitals.

Keywords: community‐based medical education; community‐based medicine; family practice; medical education; primary care; rural medicine.