Community based medical education: A learning experience of Pakistani Undergraduate Medical Students at Medical Camps.

Abstract

Objective: To determine impact of community based Medical Education on learning of undergraduate medical students. Study Design: Non-comparative, Prospective study. Setting: Irfania Ophthalmic Medical Camp, Lahore. Period: July 2019. Material & Methods: 70 students participated in a 4 hour interactive session, where they took a focused history, performed relevant clinical examination, and counseled patients regarding their disease. At the end, feedback was collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 23, with mean ± SD determined for continuous variables and frequency with percentage for categorical variables. Results: Majority of the participants were female fourth year medical students. 97.1% found the camp system more efficient for learning, while 94.3% thought it should be included in future ophthalmic curricula. 81.5% of the participants were of the opinion that the camp had had a positive impact on their communication skills regarding taking focused history and counseling patients. Conclusion: In a country like Pakistan with a high burden of ophthalmic diseases and a developing medical curriculum, medical camps are essential for training and skill learning for undergraduate medical students, and should be included in the medical curriculum.