Quality Assurance Of A New 7-Week Clerkship In Family Medicine And Community Care In The MBBS Program At The University Of Hong Kong

Abstract

Background: To address the health needs of the community and meet international benchmark standards in medical education, a new 7-week clerkship in Family Medicine & Community Care was introduced into the final-year MBBS curriculum at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2016. Objectives • To identify and set target standards for key indicators and criteria for educational quality • To examine the barriers and facilitators to optimizing teaching and learning • To identify strategies for enhancing the student learning experience Methods An evaluation framework was developed based on literature review. All final-year students in the 2016 (N=210) and 2017 (N=210) cohorts completed evaluation surveys and participated in staff-student consultation meetings. Site visits were undertaken. Evaluation results from 2016 were fed back and enhancement strategies implemented. 2016 and 2017 evaluation results were compared. Results: Areas for improvement identified by students included inadequate space, access to medical records, number of patients and hands-on practice. Barriers identified by teachers included support needed to help students manage common conditions, impact on service, lack of confidence by nurses to supervise medical students. Enhancements strategies included management interview training, access to patient education leaflets, teaching workshops and recognition certificates for allied health teachers. Comparison of 2016 and 2017 evaluations showed improvements in most criteria. Conclusions: There are many challenges which need to be overcome when implementing a new community-based curriculum. Learning outcomes need to be clearly articulated. Stakeholder feedback and iterative planning is essential in enhancing educational quality to achieve the desired outcomes of student learning.