Using community diagnosis on primary care placements for medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Community Health

Background:

• Medical education struggles to integrate social and environmental health determinants.
• Community-based learning is crucial for understanding population health.
• Bridging theory and practice in public health remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a community diagnosis project for third-year medical students.
• To assess the integration of social determinants of health into medical curricula.
• To explore the role of primary care in public health education.

Main Methods:

• Third-year medical students conducted community diagnosis projects.
• Utilized quantitative, qualitative, and observational data, including Public Health England fingertips data.
• Students presented findings in small group tutorials with GP tutor support.

Main Results:

• Positive feedback from both students and GP tutors on module design and delivery.
• Students connected theoretical public health knowledge to practical application.
• Students gained insight into the lived realities and wider determinants of health.

Conclusions:

• The module effectively integrated primary care and public health education.
• Provided practical application for public health learning.
• Demonstrated transformational learning in understanding health inequalities.