Defining generic objectives for community-based education in undergraduate medical programmes.
BACKGROUND
The availability of a framework for the definition of generic objectives for community-based education (CBE) programmes may assist in the rational design of objectives for specific CBE programmes.


METHODS
Factors impacting on community health from the perspective of a developing country were collected. Potential assistance from medical students to communities to improve their health status was determined. Competencies required in students to execute tasks in the community were defined and eventually educational objectives to develop these competencies in the students were established.


METHODS
Factors impacting on community health and activities of medical students in CBE programmes were identified by review of literature and Internet resources. Competencies desired for execution of tasks by students and educational objectives to develop these competencies were defined by us and checked against pertinent literature. A draft table representing the 4 elements of the framework was discussed by an international group of experts for external validation.


RESULTS
A total of 26 factors impacting on community health were identified and clustered in 5 domains. Twenty-one generic objectives for CBE programmes were defined to develop the required competencies in students. Analogues of each of these 21 objectives were found in at least 1 publication specifying objectives for specific CBE programmes but none of these publications stated any objective not covered by our list of generic objectives.


CONCLUSIONS
It proved possible to develop a framework to define generic objectives for CBE programmes. An example was elaborated from the perspective of a medical school in a developing country.
Kristina
T N
TN
Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia.
Majoor
G D
GD
van der Vleuten
C P M
CP
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003154:Community Medicine / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D003906:Developing Countries; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans