title: Students' perceptions about the family medicine course in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study explores students' perceptions and attitudes regarding educational methodology, content and assessment methods in the Family Medicine (FM) Course at Qassim University College of Medicine (QUCOM) with a view to build innovations and improvements on its findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three batches of undergraduate medical students attending FM Course - 2011/12 participated in a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Data collected through anonymous self-administered questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participation rate was quite high; of the 79 students constituting the course cohort, 68 (86%) responded. Students' perceived problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials positively while both male and female students rated classroom lectures negatively. Primary health care training activities and evidence-based medicine received high positive scores. Male students assigned high positive scores to consultation skills and breaking bad news (BBN) modules, and to a lesser extent the medical audit module. By contrast, female students rated them negatively and gave significantly lower scores. These were the only areas indicating significant differences between opinions of male and female students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the degree of students' satisfaction with the different learning activities varied, students felt that having a variety of learning and teaching experiences was more appropriate.
authors.affiliation: Qassim University , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdulrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Mohaimeed
authors.forename: Farid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Midhet
authors.forename: Issam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barrimah
authors.forename: Nauman Zafar
authors.initials: NZ
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Fawzy K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Sharaf
authors.forename: Sultan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alnohair
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*