فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learningin the community for the first‑year undergraduates in Community Medicine. This study is designedto evaluate an early community exposure given to the students to help overcome these lacunae.METHODOLOGY: In this study, the first‑year students (n = 44) were provided an early communityexposure and evaluated to understand their perceptions by a prevalidated, pre‑ and post exposurequestionnaire. The community exposure was given to the students by allocating them families incommunity with designated tasks A core group of mentors monitored the students and scoredthe students on every visit. Attendance of students, scores marked by the mentors, and pre‑ andpostexposure responses were used to evaluate the impact of community exposure.RESULTS: A total of 44 students were evaluated in this study. A total of 22 h (36.6%) were dedicatedto community‑based learning in the 1st year. A positive response was observed in the postexposureresponses with regard to the understanding of the subject and interest in the subject in comparisonto preexposure responses (P < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed in the firstand final visit scores by the mentors with respect to communication skills, elicitation of history, teamspirit, and attitude toward community (P < 0.00001).CONCLUSIONS: Students were exposed to the concept of community service and inculcated aninterest in public health. Early community exposure of medical undergraduate students is importantin developing better working skills in the community.