Developmental studies on community-based education in Pamukkale university faculty of medicine (Turkey): Interprofessional educational approach

Abstract

Dilek Akdogan, Ahmet Ergin, Ilgaz Akdogan, Izlem Kabali, Hanim Ahu Ura

Objective: Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine uses a problem-based learning and student-centered education with aiming to give strengths to the students regarding the skills in public health and preventive medicine. In the context of improving community-based education and integrating the interprofessional education into community-based education, the “Home visits for health services” has been integrated into the medical curriculum in the 6th year medical students. The resident physicians and Home Health Services teams were divided into groups for home visits. Interprofessional education aims to enable the 6th year medical students to recognize the bedbound and disabled patients in the province of Denizli in terms of biological, psychological and social perspectives as well as to appreciate the importance of these with acting in concert with the professional health team. Methods: An interns-oriented questionnaire has been prepared to assess the actualization rate of these goals. The questionnaire includes 4 questions about recognition of community health problems, 3 questions about health organization and direction, 2 questions about team work, 2 questions about professional and ethical values, and 1 question about interprofessional education. Results: In the analysis of results, the highest score was obtained for the question of “This training has helped to develop my ability to facilitate showing empathy towards the patients and to improve my humanistic and ethical values”. Again, the question of “This training helped me to recognize the problems of bedbound and disabled patients” received a high score. There was not a statistically significant difference between the 6th year student groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: It was found that this training helped the students to better recognize the community health problems, to show empathy, to develop humanistic and ethical values and to recognize the problems of disabled and bedridden patients.