An assessment of implementation of CommunityOriented Primary Care in Kenyan family medicine postgraduate medical education programmes.
OBJECTIVE
Family medicine postgraduate programmes in Kenya are examining the benefits of Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC) curriculum, as a method to train residents in population-based approaches to health care delivery. Whilst COPC is an established part of family medicine training in the United States, little is known about its application in Kenya. We sought to conduct a qualitative study to explore the development and implementation of COPC curriculum in the first two family medicine postgraduate programmes in Kenya.


METHODS
Semi-structured interviews of COPC educators, practitioners, and academic stakeholders and focus groups of postgraduate students were conducted with COPC educators, practitioners and academic stakeholders in two family medicine postgraduate programmes in Kenya. Discussions were transcribed, inductively coded and thematically analysed.


RESULTS
Two focus groups with eight family medicine postgraduate students and interviews with five faculty members at two universities were conducted. Two broad themes emerged from the analysis: expected learning outcomes and important community-based enablers. Three learning outcomes were (1) making a community diagnosis, (2) understanding social determinants of health and (3) training in participatory research. Three community-based enablers for sustainability of COPC were (1) partnerships with community health workers, (2) community empowerment and engagement and (3) institutional financial support.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings illustrate the expected learning outcomes and important communitybased enablers associated with the successful implementation of COPC projects in Kenya and will help to inform future curriculum development in Kenya.
Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University, United States and Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California. ian.nelligan@stanford.edu.
Ian J
IJ
Nelligan
Jacob
J
Shabani
Stephanie
S
Taché
Gulnaz
G
Mohamoud
Megan
M
Mahoney
D003150:Community Health Workers; D003479:Curriculum; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004501:Education, Medical; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005378:Financial Support; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007630:Kenya; D007858:Learning; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011320:Primary Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012106:Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D064890:Social Determinants of Health