Primary Health Care & Rural Health

Upon completion, students will be able to define the role of community medicine in promoting healthcare in the KSA, conceptually define the meaning and purposes of primary healthcare and community medicine and relate them to the healthcare systems in the Kingdom, realize the role of the primary care physician in community health and healthcare, develop supportive attitudes towards health concerns of local communities, learn about some of the scientific perspectives and basic methods of conducting community research relevant to common health problems in local communities and understand the role of epidemiology, and biostatistics in conducting roper community-based research.

This course identifies clinical presentations common to the field of family medicine; understand concept of preventive medicine and importance of family medicine in implementing community based disease prevention, cancer screening and health promotion programs. Apply family medicine oriented diagnostic approach; introduce students to inter-professional multidisciplinary team approach in the management family medicine patients. Create opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills pertinent to the specialty of family medicine through self-reflection and previously studied courses. Appreciate family physicians important roles as health advocates and resources for their practice and community and relationship in managing patients with on-going health concerns.

The objective of this course is to introduce undergraduate medical learners to family medicine as a clinical yet general medical course. This course covers a broad range of acute and chronic clinical presentations and involves the care of diverse patient population of both genders and across the life cycle with the notion in mind of providing holistic health care to the entire community.