Implementing and Evaluating Risk Assessment as a New Learning Tool in Family Adoption Program: A Qualitative Study

Training and engaging undergraduates in Family Adoption Program (FAP) is challenging due to increased visits, a large batch of students, limited resources, and less community cooperation. Routinely students are involved in history taking and community diagnosis. Risk assessment has the potential to be a part of the learning tool in FAP as it has not been utilized. To explore the perceptions of students, faculty, and villagers on risk assessment tool application in FAP and understand its challenges and suggest solutions.

Various risk-scoring scales and screening tests were introduced to the second-year students. It was a program development and evaluation design using qualitative techniques. By purposive sampling, focus group discussions were conducted with students, in-depth interviews obtained from villagers, and written feedback from the faculty. Data were collected till information saturation and manual thematic analysis was performed.

This method showed improved student knowledge and clinical skills, enhanced communication, health education, early case identification, and management. The impact on villagers was increased awareness, improved trust in community response, and positive behavior change. Faculty perceived it as an effective utilization of visit timings with educational benefits and engaged students as it is a task- and outcome-based learning. Challenges included limited resources, community mobilization, language barriers, and insufficient training. Adequate student training and preparedness, provision of learning resources, improved patient referrals, and follow-up care were the major solutions suggested.

Adopting risk assessment tool learning in the FAP curriculum facilitates better student learning and engagement, along with improved community response and patient outcomes.