Early community exposure in undergraduate medical education – A Kirkpatrick evaluation framework-based study of new CBME curriculum implementation

ABSTRACT Background: Medicine as a profession demands not only the mastery of a plethora of knowledge and the acquisition of clinical skills, but also high standards of behavior and appropriate attitudes. The new Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2018 emphasizes training in ethical values, responsiveness to the needs of the patients, and communication skills through attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM) module. Objectives: To evaluate the outcome of a structured Early Community Exposure during first year of Medical Education using Kirkpatrick evaluation model and to assess the cost feasibility of the program. Materials and Methods: The batch of 100 undergraduate MBBS first year students were followed up from the beginning to the end of their first year. The first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model were used for Programme evaluation. Cost-feasibility analysis was done using the ingredients method. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. The qualitative data obtained was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Improvement in communication skills, ability to work as a team and empathy were the common learning experiences of the study participants. Most of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they have learnt the above mentioned skills. A change in behavior was observed in most competencies. The cost-feasibility analysis demonstrates the replicability of the programme. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that early community exposure in Undergraduate Medical Education has a great positive impact on the attitude and communication and data handling skills of the students.