Family Medicine

Family medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on providing comprehensive care for individuals of all ages. It encompasses preventive, acute, and chronic medical care services that are provided in a variety of settings, including primary care offices, hospitals, and homes. Family medicine physicians are trained to provide comprehensive care for people of all ages and genders, across all organ systems and body parts.

Family Medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on providing comprehensive care for individuals and families across all stages of life. It includes preventive medicine, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, and health maintenance. It also involves providing counseling, education, and health promotion to patients and their families.

Pakistan is the 5^th most populous country in the global ranking with a population of over 230 million. Despite rapid urbanization, a vast majority of Pakistani population still resides in rural or semi urban areas with health care mostly centered around major cities. This results in inadequate health coverage to a majority of population living in rural and semi urban areas and increases the burden on tertiary h ospitals located in the major cities.

Pakistan has 194,265 Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and 47,834 specialists. (1) Majority of these RMPs work as general practitioners at primary care level without any  postgraduate training in general practice, (1) which compromises the quality of primary health care services to the people. The Government of Pakistan in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners is moving toward the implementation of Family Practice Model to provide quality health services to people close to where they live, strengthen the referral system and lessen the patient burden on the tertiary hospitals. In the first step, general practitioners are trained as Family Physicians in collaboration with WHO-EMRO.

Additionally, the Government of Pakistan has recently launched Universal Health Care Package, with vision to provide 80% of patient care at the community and primary health care level. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has been selected as a model district to implement this package. Family physicians are an integral component of this model.
Prior to the roll out of universal health coverage package, the Health Services Academy is tasked to train the general practitioners from ICT, on family practice approach. In 2021, 24 students were enrolled at the Health Services Academy in one-year (24 credits) Diploma of Family Medicine. The students were a mix of public and private practitioners, primarily based in Islamabad.
In July 2021, the HSA and seven educational institutes of Pakistan signed a “Letter of Understanding (LOU)” with the WHO to support the training of family physicians. The LOU led to the change in name of the diploma of Family Medicine to the “ Regional Diploma of Family Medicine ,” which is endorsed by the WHO and the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA). By initiating the Family Medicine, the Health Services Academy strives to improve the standard of care by enhancing the knowledge and skill base of general practitioners so they can provide better patient care, based on core values of family medicine. This includes providing patient centered care by practicing holistically and ethically, that will eventually improve health indicators and quality of life for our population. The family physicians trained by the Health Services Academy will be pioneers in implementing the Universal Health Care Package in the public and private primary health

1. To provide comprehensive, continuous, and compassionate care to individuals, families and the community.

2. To use evidence–based medicine and the latest advances in medical knowledge to diagnose and treat diseases.

3. To develop and maintain collaborative relationships with other health care providers, including specialists, to coordinate the best care for patients.

4. To provide education and support to patients and their families about medical conditions, treatments, and healthy lifestyles.

5. To advocate for the patient and their family to ensure the best possible outcomes.

The aims of family medicine are to provide comprehensive, ongoing, patient–centered primary care to individuals, families and communities, with particular attention to the underserved. Family medicine practitioners strive to improve access to quality health care, promote health education and prevention, and advocate for the needs of their patients.

The diploma aims to introduce doctors to family medicine approach in primary healthcare, in line with international standards. This will act as a bridging course for General Practitioners to improve their current practice while further comprehensive courses are being designed and delivered.

Family Medicine is a primary care specialty that focuses on providing comprehensive and continuous care to patients and their families. It emphasizes the importance of preventative care and focuses on the overall health of the individual rather than on a single condition or disease. The advantages of family medicine include:

• Comprehensive care: Family Medicine focuses on treating the whole person, not just a single condition or ailment. This allows for a more comprehensive approach to health care, enabling the physician to look at the patient’s entire lifestyle and health history.

• Coordinated care: Family physicians coordinate care and communication between the patient, specialists, and other health care providers. This helps to ensure that all relevant information is available and that the patient is getting the best possible care.

• Continuity of care: Family physicians have a long–term relationship with their patients, allowing for an ongoing dialogue about health concerns. This allows for more personalized care and a stronger relationship between the doctor and patient.

• Prevention and wellness: Family physicians focus on prevention and wellness, helping patients stay healthy and minimize the risk of disease. This can greatly reduce the need for costly treatments in the future.

• It offers personalized, individualized care for the entire family. • Family physicians are familiar with their patients’ health history and have a better understanding of their individual needs.

• Family physicians often provide continuity of care and can coordinate care between specialists and other health care providers.

• Family physicians are trained to recognize the early signs of chronic and acute illnesses, providing care that is effective, efficient and cost–effective.

• Family physicians are available to provide preventive services, health education, and counseling to help their patients stay healthy.

• They often serve as the patient’s advocate in the health care system.

It is One-Year program comprising of 2 semesters and each semesters’ duration is 6 months.

Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is based on the knowledge of the patient within the context of the family, with the goal of providing continuing and comprehensive health care. The benefits of family medicine include:

1. Continuity of Care: Family medicine provides comprehensive and continuous care for all family members, from newborns to seniors.

2. Comprehensive Care: Family medicine practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of medical conditions.

3. Prevention and Wellness: Family medicine practitioners emphasize preventive care and health maintenance, such as vaccinations and screenings.

4. Coordinated Care: Family medicine practitioners coordinate care with other specialists and health care providers to ensure that all of the patient’s medical needs are addressed.

5. Education and Support: Family medicine practitioners provide education and support to their patients to help them make informed decisions about their health.

Family medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the comprehensive health care of individuals and families. It is a primary care specialty, which means that family medicine physicians are often the first point of contact for patients seeking medical care. Family medicine physicians provide preventive care services, such as routine physical exams and screenings, as well as diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic and acute conditions. They also provide mental health care, prenatal care, and geriatric care.

Family medicine is a specialty of medicine that focuses on health care for individuals and families across all ages and genders. It includes prevention and treatment of common diseases, chronic illnesses, and mental health issues. Family medicine physicians provide comprehensive and compassionate care to individuals, families, and communities. They work to promote health and prevent disease, often in the context of an ongoing relationship with their patients, and serve as advocates for their patients’ health. They may also provide hospital care, obstetrics, gynecology, and minor surgical procedures.

Students will be evaluated during each course on the basis of;

1. Formative assessment which is a mix of the tests, end of course examination, class and home assignments, class participation, interactive discussions, practical exercises, field works and/or group works, end of course examination, depending on the course outline (ongoing assessment)

2. Summative assessment based on the end of semester examination Summative assessments are held at end of semesters and comprises of semester examinations paper each.

Course Objectives

• Train doctors who can work as family physicians in primary healthcare in line with international standards

• To familiarize general practitioners with the principles and significance of family practice and family medicine in strengthening Primary Health Care in Pakistan.

• To understand the role of family physician in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and train them to promote, prevent and treat a set group of population at primary healthcare level as to deliver Essential Healthcare Package.

• To introduce various communication skills models to improve communications skills.

• To introduce the concept of Evidence Based Practice and its application in practice.

• To illustrate the principles of documentation and medical records management in the context of family practice and UHC.

• To describe the principles of health promotion and disease prevention as integrated components of the overall healthcare system.

• To revise the principles of management of common medical problems in primary care.

NTI Institute of health management abides by its strict merit-based criteria with absolute transparency to select its students for the DPH program.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

The candidate should possess one of the following qualifications or an equivalent degree from a recognized university or accrediting body.

• M.B.B.S from a P.M.C recognized medical college

• Valid P.M.C registration

• One-year House Job in a P.M.C recognized training site

• Clinical experience of working in public or private primary health care facility will be preferred.

WORK EXPERIENCE

The candidate should preferably have one years of full-time work experience (in the case of medical doctors, after the house job) in public health-related fields in either the private sector or the public sector, including the armed forces. For students performing extra-ordinary during viva/interviews, the experience can be waived off by the admission committee.

AGE LIMIT

There is no Age-limit restrictions for admission in this Program.

FAMILY MEDICINE ADMISSIONS

NTI institute of health management has its own Admissions Committee, comprising of Program Coordinator, the Registrar, a Senior Faculty Member, and one nominated alumnus/alumna. The Admissions Committee has the responsibility for the selection of applicants to be admitted to the Program. It establishes procedures for the timely review of applications to the Program. Deferrals of admission are at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. The selected candidates from the Admissions Committee will be exempted from any test or interview.

FINAL SELECTION

The applicant’s acceptance is contingent upon the receipt of all required documents including official transcripts. The Admissions Committee is responsible for identifying those students with missing documents and/or credentials which do not meet eligibility standards.