Importance of community based learning for medical students stressed

Medical students gain first-hand experience of living conditions of patients and understand how health determinants affect them through community engagement. Director of Medical Education and Research J. Sangumani highlighted the dual benefit of such programmes for students and community. In 2012, WHO consensus led to a new public health course to engage with community organisations. In 2022, NMC insisted on early community-based teaching for better field skills. Students need knowledge, competence, compassion, lifelong learning, evidence-based practice, teamwork, ethics to improve population health. Internship helps acquire skills. Participate in activities like rallies, camps, data generation for evidence-based practices.

Community engagement gives medical students a first hand experience of the living conditions of people they encounter as patients in hospitals. The students also understand how various determinants of health influence patients in real life, said the Director of Medical Education and Research J. Sangumani here on Saturday.

He was speaking at the annual International Public Health Conference ‘DPHICON 2023’ on the topic ‘Providing opportunities for medical students to engage in community-based learning experiences’. He said that the speciality of community medicine serves the dual purpose of benefiting the medical students as well as the community which the institution has adopted.

The students learn how to interact with the patients. In 2012, in line with the WHO consensus, a new public health course was designed to engage with community organisations and provide students with an undertaking of the local public health needs. In 2022, the National Medical Commission insisted on early community based teaching of medical undergraduates for achieving better working skills in the field, he pointed out.

He said that the students should develop knowledge and competence with compassion, have desire for lifelong learning, evidence based practice, interdisciplinary teamwork, professional and ethical behaviour in order to improve and sustain the health of the population. Community based programmes showed positive outcomes, improved communication, built confidence, greater empathy, enhanced interpersonal and leadership skills and also aid in academic achievement, he said.

He said internship helped acquire skills and stressed on the need to participate in activities like awareness activities, rallies, awareness programmes, medical camps and blood donation camps. He also emphasised on the need to generate and analyse data for improving health outcomes and evidence based clinical practices.

Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T. S. Selvavinayagam, Deputy Director of Health Services P. Kumaragurubaran and other government officials were present.