Evaluation of newly introduced structured foundation course in MBBS curriculum at entry level in India: Students’ perspective

Abstract

Background: One-month structured foundation course is an integral component of the newly designed CBME curriculum as proposed in “Graduate Medical Education Regulations-2019” by Medical Council of India. Purpose of this program is to assist fresh MBBS students in acclimatising to the new challenging environment of medical profession and in acquiring basic skills and professional attributes. Aims and Objective: Study was aimed to evaluate the students’ perception regarding the knowledge and importance of different modules of the foundation course and to assess the effectiveness and quality of the program. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 120 first year MBBS students using pre-validated questionnaires. Pre questionnaire having three sections and post questionnaire having four sections were distributed at the start of course and towards the end of first year respectively using Google forms. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 and tests were done at a significance level of 5%. Results: Mean scores of perceptions of knowledge and importance for all the modules increased after the course except for importance of Enhancement of language and computer skills module and the difference was statistically significant. Professionalism and ethics module was the most practically implemented module throughout the first year. Over-all rating of this one- month course was 3.31±0.78. Conclusion: Feedback responses from students were indicative of the effectiveness of this program. This study sheds light on the significance of the foundation course in making the medical graduate an effective health care provider and physician of first contact of the community.