Perception and Experience of Indian Medical Students Regarding the Family Adoption Program in Delhi NCR

Reg ID: 340

Abstract

Introduction: The National Medical Commission introduced the Family Adoption Program (FAP) in 2022 under Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) offering Indian Medical Graduates opportunity to engaging with rural community, developing clinical skills, understanding importance of community engagement and cultivating a deeper understanding of social determinants of health.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among MBBS students (1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year) from Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad. Taking the proportion of students having good perception as 50%, the sample size was calculated to be 384. Convenient sampling was used to recruit participants for the study and a total of 416 participants were recruited from all three years of MBBS. Data was collected using pretested, semi-structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic details, rapport-building, identifying local communicable, non-communicable, vector-borne diseases and self-perceived skill enhancement. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed using Stata MP-17 and and chi-square tests were applied to determine associations.

Results: Out of 416 participants, 57.9% were females. Almost 91.8% students reported developing good rapport with their adopted families initially and 95.7% continued to have good rapport on subsequent visits. Most common NCDs, identified were Hypertension (47.6%), Diabetes (41.3%) and communicable diseases such as Typhoid (37.5%), URTI (28.1%) and LRTI (24.3%) were most common. Most common vector-borne disease was Dengue (31.3%). Superstitious beliefs regarding diseases and treatment were identified among 55.3% families. Previously undiagnosed medical conditions were identified in 14.2% families. The program improved communication, clinical skills and holistic understanding of community health with positive perception, partially positive and poor perception in 86.5%, 12.7% and 0.7% students respectively calculated through Likert scale.

Conclusion: The FAP provided valuable community exposure and enhanced student competency in communication and clinical practice. It offers a holistic platform and links medical education with community health needs.