Development and evaluation of a community based, multiagency course for medical students: descriptive survey

Objective: To develop and evaluate an effective, community based, multiagency; course (involving doctors, nurses, non-health statutory workers, and voluntary organisations) for all Leicester medical students, in response to the General Medical Council's recommendation of preparing the doctors of tomorrow to handle society's medical problems. Design: Survey evaluating a task oriented, problem solving course, designed by medical students in partnership with the University of Leicester and the local community. The students, staff, and participating agencies and patients all helped in the evaluation of the first course, The students' performance on the course nas also individually assessed. Setting: Inner city housing estate with Jarman index 64.1 in Leicester. Subjects: All third year medical students at Leicester University. Main outcome measures: Results of the student assignments and students' responses to a questionnaire. Results of feedback questionnaires distributed to the patients and agency representatives. Results: In a two month period, 168 students completed the first course. 163 students passed the criterion referenced assignment, 50 of whom achieved an "excellent" grade. 166 completed the questionnaire, with 159 wishing to see the course continue in the present format and 149 saying that the course linked theoretical teaching with the practical experiences gained in the community. Conclusions: The University of Leicester has a viable mechanism for providing a community based, multiagency course for all its medical students. Many of the principles applied in the development and implementation of the course could be transferred to other medical schools.