Blueprint for an Undergraduate Primary Care Curriculum

Abstract

In light of the increasing demand for primary care services and the changing scope of health care, it is important to consider how the principles of primary care are taught in medical school. While the majority of schools have increased students' exposure to primary care, they have not developed a standardized primary care curriculum for undergraduate medical education. In 2013, the authors convened a group of educators from primary care internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, and medicine-pediatrics, as well as five medical students to create a blueprint for a primary care curriculum that could be integrated into a longitudinal primary care experience spanning undergraduate medical education and delivered to all students regardless of their eventual career choice.The authors organized this blueprint into three domains: care management, specific areas of content expertise, and understanding the role of primary care in the health care system. Within each domain, they described specific curriculum content, including longitudinality, generalism, central responsibility for managing care, therapeutic alliance/communication, approach to acute and chronic care, wellness and prevention, mental and behavioral health, systems improvement, interprofessional training, and population health, as well as competencies that all medical students should attain by graduation.The proposed curriculum incorporates important core features of doctoring, which are often affirmed by all disciplines but owned by none. The authors argue that primary care educators are natural stewards of this curriculum content and can ensure that it complements and strengthens all aspects of undergraduate medical education.

Patients’ and tutors’ assessment of General Practice/Family Medicine consultations conducted by medical students in Coimbra, Portugal

“…[2][3][4][5][6] The "Blueprint for an Undergraduate Primary Care Curriculum" underpins care management with longitudinally, generalist, central responsibility for managing care, therapeutic alliance/communication, approach to acute care, approach to chronic care, wellness and prevention, mental and behavioral health, interprofessional training, systems improvement and population health are key issues to be taught to future GP/FDs, so fulfilling what the EURACT definition states. 1,7 As teachers and tutors must make assessments and evaluate students, so should patients evaluate students in consultation, such evaluation being intended as a self-learning tool for students and tutors. 6 To do so a systematic organized recoil of information is mandatory beginning by the reason for consultation the S from Subjetive, including signs and symptoms the patient is suffering of and the fears and expectations as well as the answers to doctor questions, continuing in O from Objective introducing the signs in physical exam and even the psychological viewing of the patient and the results of tests, following by A from Assessment, the doctor diagnostics and finishing in P form Plan,…”

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Particular interest was put on Patient Centered Medicine and empathy as a way to focus our students on the person suffering and not only on diseases. 7,11,20,21 . The Dean of the FMUC issued a consent form approving the Curricular Unit Form once the FMUC Pedagogic Council gave its approval to the proposed scheme of teaching GP/FM from the year 2017-2018 onwards.…”

Patients’ and tutors’ evaluations of Medicine students’ consultations in General Practice/Family Medicine in Coimbra

“…[2][3][4][5][6] The "Blueprint for an Undergraduate Primary Care Curriculum" underpins care management with longitudinally, generalist, central responsibility for managing care, therapeutic alliance/communication, approach to acute care, approach to chronic care, wellness and prevention, mental and behavioral health, interprofessional training, systems improvement and population health are key issues to be taught to future GP/FDs, so fulfilling what the EURACT definition states. 1,7 As teachers and tutors must assess and evaluate students, so should patients evaluate students in consultation, such evaluation being intended as a self-learning tool for students and tutors. 6 [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Particular interest was put on Patient Centered Medicine and empathy as a way to focus our students on the person suffering and not only on diseases.…”

“…6 [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Particular interest was put on Patient Centered Medicine and empathy as a way to focus our students on the person suffering and not only on diseases. 7,11,20,21 . The Dean of the FMUC issued a consent form approving the Curricular Unit Form once the FMUC Pedagogic Council gave its approval to the proposed scheme of teaching GP/FM from the year 2017-2018 onwards.…”

Morbidity and mortality conferences as medical student learning tools

“…These M&M conferences introduced me to key patient safety and quality-improvement (QI) principles, illustrating approaches to changing hospital systems to prevent future errors: one of the few places in medical school that these concepts are formally discussed. As understanding QI is an important part of leadership and clinical practice, identified as a core competency for medical students, 6 improving the way in which we optimise and capitalise upon M&M conference learning opportunities would seem to be a natural priority.…”