Family medicine in undergraduate medical curriculum: a cost-effective approach to health care in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND Shifa College of Medicine introduced a two-week rotation in Family Medicine for their third-year medical students in 2008. The purpose of this study was to determine what impact it made on students and how many would consider becoming Family Physicians in future. METHODS A questionnaire-based prospective study conducted at Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad during academic year 2008. RESULTS A total of 46 students rotated in Family Medicine throughout the academic year-2008. Fifteen students were aware of Family Medicine as a specialty prior to starting their rotation, and only 3 expressed an interest to pursue Family Medicine as a future career. At the start of the rotation only 15 students were able to give correct definition of Family Medicine and on questioning whether it should be a part of the undergraduate curriculum, only 24 answered yes while the rest were unsure. After the rotation, a significant number of students (37%; p < 0.01) considered having a career in Family Practice, and 80% (n = 37) were able to give correct definition of Family Medicine as a humanistic approach of medicine with aim to prevent, treat and rehabilitate. About its utility in the undergraduate curriculum, 44 (96%) students believed it should be a regular feature in their curriculum, while 30 (65%) students agreed that their outlook towards patient care had changed. When asked what they learnt most during the rotation, students quoted empathy and development of communication skills. CONCLUSION Family medicine rotation as part of undergraduate medical curriculum may help in fostering an interest among medical students in this newly emerging subspecialty which could have a profound effect on delivery of quality health care in this country.