Medical Students' Awareness and Interest towards Family Medicine at a Private Medical College in Karachi

Abstract

Background: Family physicians constitute the fundamental core of the health system in many parts of the world. However, medical students’ diminishing interest in Family Medicine remains a challenge worldwide. Objective: To assess medical students’ awareness of the Family Medicine specialty and their interest towards selecting Family Medicine as a career. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a private medical university in Karachi from January 2021 to June 2021. A total of 333 students from all 5 years of Medicine were given a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing their awareness of Family Medicine, and their interest in it as a future career choice. Results: Response rate was 100%. 91% of students had heard of Family Medicine, 80.8% knew it as a recognized specialty. 91.6% knew family physicians treat individuals of all ages and gender. 88.9% knew family physicians provide comprehensive coordinated care. 82.9% agreed Family Medicine should be taught in the undergraduate curriculum. 95.5% think family physicians can change the healthcare system of Pakistan, and 54.1% have interest in Family Medicine as a future career choice. Among the top three specialty choices, General Surgery ranked first, Emergency Medicine ranked second and Family Medicine ranked third. Conclusion: To attract students to choose a career in Family Medicine, it needs to be an essential part of undergraduate medical education. Career counselling, mentorship and role modelling can help foster interest among students in this field.

Keywords

• medical students
• career choice
• family physicians
• health system