Family Medicine Diploma Program in Jordan: Components for Success and Sustainability.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Jordan has residency positions available for approximately 20% of graduates from Jordanian medical schools, with approximately 30 in family medicine. Most graduates never complete a residency program and instead work as outpatient general practitioners (GPs). The need for more well-trained GPs is overwhelming. To address this gap, ERASMUS+ funding provided the money and technical expertise of European family medicine faculty to create a diploma program that enhanced prior efforts. In this paper, we share the evaluation data gathered for three levels of Kirkpatrick's four-level model and discuss the additional steps taken to ensure sustainability of the diploma program.

Methods: A needs analysis consisting of a series of surveys, site visits, personal interviews, and bilateral meetings was conducted by the project consortium to identify the items most necessary in developing a sustainable project. The four levels of the Kirkpatrick evaluation model were used to evaluate the project.

Results: Trainees improved in areas of understanding primary care, ethics and values, communication skills, and patient management. Six months after diploma completion, Level 3 data showed decreases in both antibiotic prescriptions and referral rates. To increase sustainability, our program involved local stakeholders from the beginning of the project, provided training for family medicine mentors, offered incentives for program trainees, and developed a sustainable financial model.

Conclusions: Diploma programs fill an important void in the expertise of GPs. Building on prior diploma program efforts, our program added critical elements to create a successful and sustainable program.