Family medicine: attractiveness, constraints and prospects as perceived by residents of the specialty

Abstract

Introduction: Medical studies reform in Tunisia was conducted to upgrade general medicine, depreciated by the population and experienced by practitioners as a path of failure, thus elevated to the rank of family medicine (FM).

Aim: To determine the factors of attractiveness of the FM, the prospects and career aspirations of future family physicians.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey by an anonymous questionnaire distributed via an online questionnaire platform from February 11th to April 13th, 2018 that targeted students in the 2nd year of FM at the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis.

Results: We included 68 students. The median age was 26 years. The sex ratio was 0.4. The initial reason for choosing FM was the short course leading up to doctoral degree in medicine in 81% of students. The main factors of attractiveness of the FM were the overall approach of the patient (59%), the richness and the variety of the discipline (57%) and the rich human contact (37%). The main training constraints were the imprecise status (85%), the absence of a college of FM (59%) and the insufficient training (50%). Forty-three students (63%) wanted to continue their career abroad. The main reasons for this exodus were the search for a better quality of life (98%), better working conditions (81%), better training and supervision (67%) and acceptable remuneration (41%). The main expectations of the students were personal and family development (69%), the possibility of exercising at best their job (66%) and acceptable remuneration (59%).

Conclusion: Family medicine must have a defined status, an adapted curriculum, an should be attractive financially and scientifically.