Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE FME5009

 
TITLE Principles and Practice of Family Medicine

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 10

 
DEPARTMENT Family Medicine

 
DESCRIPTION The principles and application of family medicine and its role in the Health Care System will be explored. Generic skills that help Family Doctors work with individuals and their families will be discussed in the hope that the practitioner will develop the skills and knowledge base of best current practice.

Their application in the psychosocial milieu of modern medicine is a very important skill. The unique elements that characterize the practice of Family medicine will be viewed from a general perspective and evaluated within the local context. The basic roles of a Family Doctor in a wider Primary Care system will also be integrated in this study-unit. This is relevant especially because Family Doctors also practice in different contexts particularly in their roles of Occupational Health and Travel Medicine practitioners.

Family doctors need to develop the awareness, know-how and skills to help persons with chronic illness to make lifestyle changes to effectively manage their chronic illness, and to avoid or delay complications. Teaching patients to make lifestyle changes requires an understanding of the effective models of motivating patients using different behaviour change models.

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Identify the philosophical basis of Family Medicine in modern medical practice.
2. Understand the historical basis of the development of the discipline of Family Medicine.
3. Examine the social, economic and commercial pressures which challenge modern day Family Practice.
4. Summarise the differences between Institution based medical practice and community based medical services.
5. Discuss how general medical practitioners deal with medical complexity and uncertainty in routine practice.
6. Identify areas of synergy, overlap and conflict between medical practice in the community and in institutions.
7. Discuss the main characteristics of Primary Care and Family Medicine.
8. Examine the contribution of Primary Care in the Health Care System.
9. Distinguish the differences between the disease and illness models of health problems in the community.Distinguish and discuss the relationship between Primary Care and Family Medicine.
10. Identify within the local context the role and relationships of both components and their contribution to the Maltese Health Care System.
11. Compare and contrast medical and sociological perspectives on disability.
12. Define and discuss the different definitions of Health, Disease, Wellness and Sickness.
13. Interpret the effects of family life cycle changes on illness in the individual within the community.
14. Extrapolate the basic behaviour change theory to real practice situations.
15. Identify and plan the use of resources within families.
16. Identify and plan for the special needs of families with issues of disability.
17. Identify and interpret the practice population as a distinct number of patient lists with specific needs.
18. Identify the strengths and different styles and levels of Teamwork in the community.
19. Discover and plan how to deal with dysfunctional families and domestic violence in the community.
20. Analyse the interrelationship between a productive professional life and personal development for the Family Medical practitioner.
21. Acquire and interpret the basic principles of Occupational Health and Travel Medicine.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

1. Taylor Robert B Family Medicine: Principles and Practice. Spinger 2002.
2. Rakel, Robert E. MD and Rakel, David P. MD. Textbook of Family Medicine. 8th Ed Elsevier. an R McWhinney, A Textbook of Family Medicine, 1989 2nd Ed OUP ISBN-10: 019511518X.
3. Health and Illness in the community” by Taylor, Smith and van Teijlingen ISBN 0-19-263168-3.
4. Doherty WJ, Baird MA: Developmental levels in family-centred medical care. Fam Med 1986, 18:153-156.
5. Grol R, Wensing M, Mainz J, Ferreira P, Hearnshaw H, Hjortdahl P, Olesen F, Ribacke M, Spenser T, Szecsenyi J: Patients' priorities with respect to general practice care: an international comparison. European Task Force on Patient Evaluations of General Practice (EUROPEP). FamPract 1999, 16:4-11.
6. Campbell TL, McDaniel SH, Cole-Kelly K, Hepworth J, Lorenz A: Family interviewing: a review of the literature in primary care.
7. Medalie JH, Zyzanski SJ, Langa D, Stange KC: The family in family practice: is it a reality? J FamPract 1998, 46:390-396.
8. Family-oriented primary care: A Manual for Medical Providers SH McDaniel.
9. Behavioural Medicine in Primary Care. Mitchell D. Feldman John F. Christensen McGraw-Hill Professional 2003 ISBN 0071383360.
10. The Practice of Counselling in Primary Care. Robert Bor, Damian McCann.
11. Oxford Textbook of Primary Medical Care, Roger Jones; Nicky Britten; Larry Culpepper; David A. Gass; Richard Grol; David Mant; Chris Silagy, 2003, ISBN-10: 0192632191.
12. The World Health Report 2008 - primary Health Care (Now More Than Ever). Available on http://www.who.int/whr/2008/en/index.html.
13. Declaration of Alma-Ata. International Conference on Primary Health Care, Alma-Ata, USSR, 6-12 September 1978. Available on http://www.who.int/publications/almaata_declaration_en.pdf
14. WHO Health Systems Research Strategy Background documents. Available on http://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/en/index.html.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Examination (3 Hours) Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Raymond Busuttil
Pierre Mallia
Dione Mifsud
Joseph Pace
Mario R. Sammut
Philip Sciortino (Co-ord.)
Denis Soler
Elena Tanti Burlo'

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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