Integrated Community Medicine Practical

Course description

Community Medicine III is an integrated course comprising several sub-specialties within community medicine course at large. This course is designed to enable the students understand the concept of Primary Health Care (PHC) and concepts of community diagnosis as well as to help them acquire skills to apply basic methodologies of community medicine — epidemiology, biostatistics, demography, family health, environmental health, health education, and medical sociology/anthropology. The course will also be helpful in learning from the community.

The course consists of the following components

  • Primary Health Care (PHC)
  • Community Health Diagnosis (Theory)
  • Community Medicine (Integrated Practical)
  • Community Health Diagnosis (Field)

General objectives:

The course aims to enable the student to

  • explain the concept and relevance of primary health care
  • describe community diagnosis
  • acquire basic skills of conducting community diagnosis

Specific objectives:

  1. Primary Health Care

The students will be able to

  • describe the historical background of Primary Health Care.
  • explain the principles of Primary Health Care according to Alma-Ata Declaration.
  • Discuss health as the right and responsibility of all irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion, and ideological and other beliefs.
  • explain the process of marginalization.
  • describe the equity and social justice in health, priorities for the poor, deprived, underprivileged, and underserved.
  • describe implementation of Primary Health Care in Nepal.

 

  1. Community Health Diagnosis (Theory)

The students will be able to

  • describe concept of Community Medicine.
  • describe concept and objectives of Community Health Diagnosis
  • describe differences and similarities between Community Health Diagnosis and clinical diagnosis
  • discuss the importance and relevance of Community Health Diagnosis for physicians
  • explain different components of Community Health Diagnosis
  • describe different approaches to Community Health Diagnosis
  • Describe different method/techniques (observation, interviews, focus group discussion, participatory appraisal, etc.) and tools (observation checklist, questionnaire, discussion guideline, etc.) used in Community Health Diagnosis.
  • Explain necessity and ways of prioritization of the problems in the community.
  • Describe concept of micro health project in relation to Community Health Diagnosis

 

  1. Community Medicine (Integrated Practical)

The students will be able to

  • develop different tools of data collection (questionnaire, observation checklist, focus group discussion guidelines, interview guidelines, etc.)
  • apply method/techniques of data collection (interview, focus group discussion, observation, participatory appraisal)
  • estimate/calculate different health indicators and epidemiological measurements.
  • assess nutritional status of children under five by anthropometric measurements (height for age, weight age, weight for height, and MUAC)
  • prepare weaning foods including Sarbottam Pitho
  • assess dehydration and prepare ORS and other food base rehydration solutions
  • acquire basic skills on environmental health
  • demonstrate basic skills on communication and health education
  • Calculate/estimate basic indicators on population studies.

IV. Community Health Diagnosis (Residential field)

Students will be able to

  • Communicate with the people in relation to the health problems in the community in socio-cultural context of the community
  • Apply different methods to collect data required for community diagnosis.
  • Use different tools of data collection that is required for community diagnosis
  • Analyze and interpret the data to identify the problems and ways of their solutions in the community
  • Prioritize the problems based on observed and felt needs and available resources.
  • Dissemination of the findings of community diagnosis process by presentation to the community and in the campus.
  • Identify the community resources to address the problems
  • Plan and implement a micro-health project based on prioritization of needs with the participation of the community.
  • Write a report of community diagnosis.

Methods

Teaching learning methods of this course include theory lectures, laboratory (practical) and field works in the community.

Laboratory works — Students will be divided in to several groups. Each of the groups will be given assignments and guided by the teachers to assist and monitor the performances of the students. The students will maintain individual note on the practical works performed.

Community Medicine Diagnosis (Field) — include the following processes:

  1. Selection of the field

Orientation to the students

Orientation about the community they will be posted

Orientation about process of field work

Development of the specific objectives by each group Development and pretest of specific tools for data collection, Development of work plan in the community

Organize logistics

  1. In the community — rapport building, meeting with the people, data collection, preliminary analysis, community presentation, prioritization of the problem, implementation of micro health project
  2. Presentation in the campus
  3. Submission of the report to the Department of Community Medicine and Family Health.
  1. Hale C. Shrestha IB and Bhattacharya A. Community Diagnosis Manual, HLMC Institute of Medicine, 1996
  2. Field Training Manual. FESU, Institute of Medicine, 1995
  3. Bennette FJ. Community Diagnosis and Health Action; A manual for tropical and rural areas, Churchill Livingstone 1979.