Home 
Contact 
Profile 
Videos 
Paper written for the Third WONCA World Conference on Rural Health held in Kuching, Sarawak July 1-5, 1999 by Prof Omar Hasan Kasule, Deputy Dean and Dato' Dr R Mahathevan, Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, International Islamic University, Kuantan, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Malaysia is rapidly developing as an industrial country with a major population drift to the urban areas. However a sizeable number of the population still stay in rural areas necessitating sensitizing and training future doctors to deal with rural health problems.
Objectives: The paper has 2 main objectives. It describes the vision, scope, objectives, and methodology of the proposed rural health rural health posting of medical students. It also describes the process of defining a community that will be used for research and teaching on rural health.
Rural health program: The rural health posting is 12 weeks at rural hospitals and rural health centers. The program aims at enabling students to identify, understand, and describe the influence of environmental and social factors on health. The students work alongside primary health care workers to gain first-hand experience of the health problems. They also interact with community leaders and community members to understand the dynamics of rural life. The following areas are covered at the family or individual level: out-patient care, health promotion, disease prevention, detection and management of health risks, screening for diseases, health education and counseling. The following are covered at the community level: health care delivery patterns, community/family practice, epidemiological patterns, health practices, community participation, and resource mobilization.
Defined population for epidemiological studies: following the practice of other Malaysian universities we are looking for a defined population for rural health teaching and research. The paper will describe the criteria that were drawn up to guide the selection of the most suitable community. The defined area will be an intensively studied area whose demographic background will be known well thus facilitating the teaching of epidemiological concepts and skills.
References:
Area health education centers: research issues in the 1980s; an agenda for the 1990s.
Nichols AW, et al. J Rural Health. 1990 Oct;6(4):543-51. Review.
Information for trained nurses in remote areas: do electronically networked resources provide an answer?
Farmer J, et al. Health Libr Rev. 1997 Jun;14(2):97-103. Review.
Research at Fallon Community Health Plan. Lewis BE. Med Care Res Rev. 1996 Mar;53 Suppl:S92-103. Review.
Synthesis of research on the costs of institutional and community-based care. Mitchell D, et al. J Ment Health Adm. 1990 Fall;17(2):171-83. Review.
Organizing community research partnerships in the struggle against AIDS. Schensul JJ. Health Educ Behav. 1999 Apr;26(2):266-83. Review.
Undertaking research for the benefit of the rural community. McMurray A. Aust J Rural Health. 1998 May;6(2):89-95. Review.
Review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health.
Israel BA, et al. Annu Rev Public Health. 1998;19:173-202. Review.
Models of community care for severe mental illness: a review of research on case management.
Mueser KT, et al. Schizophr Bull. 1998;24(1):37-74. Review.
Planning for the sustainability of community-based health programs: conceptual frameworks and future directions for research, practice and policy. Shediac-Rizkallah MC, et al. Health Educ Res. 1998 Mar;13(1):87-108. Review.
Research-based or idiosyncratic practice in the management of leg ulcers in the community.
Jones JE. J Wound Care. 1997 Oct;6(9):447-50. Review.
Community equipoise and the architecture of clinical research. Karlawish JH, et al.
Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 1997 Fall;6(4):385-96. Review.
Informal family caregiving to older people with dementia: research priorities for community psychiatric nursing.
Adams T J Adv Nurs. 1996 Oct;24(4):703-10. Review.
The use of the Nominal Group Technique in research with community nurses. Carney O, et al. J Adv Nurs. 1996 May;23(5):1024-9. Review.
Parental perceptions of infant transfer from an NICU to a community nursery: implications for research and practice.
Page J, et al. Neonatal Netw. 1995 Dec;14(8):69-71. Review.
Diagnosis of new and resurgent diseases. Contributions from longitudinal community health research.
Wyon JB. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1994 Dec 15;740:366-82. Review.
Considerations in choice of a clinical endpoint for AIDS clinical trials. Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA). Neaton JD, et al. Stat Med. 1994 Oct 15-30;13(19-20):2107-25. Review.
Research for improving the health and well-being of the black
community: implications for shaping a research agenda.
Phillips JM
J Natl Black Nurses Assoc. 1994 Fall-Winter;7(2):21-8. Review.
CIT. IDS:PMID: 9128530 UI: 97274440
Schistosomiasis research and the European Community. Hagan P, et al. Trop Geogr Med. 1994;46(4 Spec No):259-68. Review.
Environmental justice for all: community perspectives on health and research needs. Bullard RD, et al. Toxicol Ind Health. 1993 Sep-Oct;9(5):821-41. Review.
School and community politics: issues, concerns, and implications when conducting research in African-American communities. Debro J, et al. NIDA Res Monogr. 1993;130:298-307. Review.
Realistic outcomes: lessons from community-based research and demonstration programs for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Mittelmark MB, et al. J Public Health Policy. 1993 Winter;14(4):437-62. Review.
The roles of community practice-based research. Williamson HA Jr Fam Pract Res J. 1992 Jun;12(2):105-8. Review.
How the environment affects research on prenatal drug exposure: the laboratory and the community.
Coles CD. NIDA Res Monogr. 1992;117:271-92. Review.
Community psychiatry and health promotion research. Dalgard OS, et al. WHO Reg Publ Eur Ser. 1991;37:421-39. Review.
Role of the community hospital in cancer research. Cohen GI, et al. Md Med J. 1990 Oct;39(10):953-7. Review.
Effectiveness research and assessment of clinical outcome: a review of Federal Government and medical community involvement.
Berman GD, et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 1990 May;65(5):657-63. Review.
The management of psychiatric disorders in the community. The research
magnificent. Shepherd M. J R Soc Med. 1990 Apr;83(4):219-22. Review.
The application of the concept of expressed emotion to the role of the community psychiatric nurse: a research study.
Brooker C. Int J Nurs Stud. 1990;27(3):277-85. Review.
Conceptual differences between prevention and health promotion: research implications for community health programs.
Stachtchenko S, et al. Can J Public Health. 1990 Jan-Feb;81(1):53-9. Review.
Community psychiatric nursing--a research-based profession? Simpson K. J Adv Nurs. 1989 Apr;14(4):274-80. Review.
CIT. IDS:PMID: 2661619 UI: 89292318
Issues and problems in measuring children's health status in community health research. Fink R
Soc Sci Med. 1989;29(6):715-9. Review.
Community-referenced research on self-stimulation. Koegel RL, et al. Monogr Am Assoc Ment Retard. 1989;(12):129-50. Review.
Research into the control of tuberculosis and leprosy in the community. Sutherland I. Br Med Bull. 1988 Jul;44(3):665-78. Review.
Studies upon the genetic effects of environmental chemicals: the coordinated research programme of the European Economic Community. Parry JM. Mutagenesis. 1988 Mar;3(2):105-36. Review.
Establishing socially validated drug research in community settings. Agran M, et al. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1985;21(2):285-90. Review.
Behavioral community psychology: a review of recent research and applications. Jason LA, et al. Prog Behav Modif. 1984;18:85-121. Review.
Community-based care of the mentally ill: a research review. Rubin A. Health Soc Work. 1984 Summer;9(3):165-77. Review.
Epidemiology of chronic bronchitis. Report on a survey of workers in the Community Coal and Steel Industries conducted as part of the ECSC Research Programme on Chronic Respiratory Diseases II, 1970 - 1976. Minette A. Rev Inst Hyg Mines (Hasselt). 1978;33(1):5-42. Review.
Progress in community pediatric research. Vance JC, et al. Paediatrician. 1978;7(6):346-74. Review.
The status of community health nursing research. Highriter ME. Nurs Res. 1977 May-Jun;26(3):183-92. Review.
Community mental health services and the lower socioeconomic classes: a summary of research literature on outpatient treatment (1963-1969). Cobb CW. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1972 Apr;42(3):404-14. Review.
Research into the organization of community health service agencies. An administrator's review.
Blum HL. Milbank Mem Fund Q. 1966 Jul;44(3):Suppl:52-93. Review.
MacDonald SA. The Cardiovascular Health Education Program: assessing the impact on rural and urban adolescents' health knowledge. Appl Nurs Res. 1999 May;12(2):86-90.
Daniel M, et al. Effectiveness of community-directed diabetes prevention and control in a rural Aboriginal population in British Columbia, Canada. Soc Sci Med. 1999 Mar;48(6):815-32.
Fortuine R, et al. Educating medical students for Alaska. Int J Circumpolar Health. 1998;57 Suppl 1:79-82.
Anderson SE, et al. Closing the distance. Nurs Manage. 1998 Nov;29(11):44-8.
Felton GM, et al. Health risk behaviors of rural sixth graders. Res Nurs Health. 1998 Dec;21(6):475-85.
Morris DB. A rural diabetes support group. Diabetes Educ. 1998 Jul-Aug;24(4):493-7.
Doyle DB, et al.
Health professions students as research partners in community orientedprimary care. J Community Health. 1998 Oct;23(5):337-46.
Craven JA. Future of medical training in Australia. Med J Aust. 1998 Sep 21;169(6):342.
Astroth J, et al. Dental caries prevalence and treatment need in Chiriqui Province, Panama. Int Dent J. 1998 Jun;48(3):203-9.
El Katsha S, et al. Schistosomiasis screening and health education for children: action research in Nile delta villages. Trop Med Int Health. 1998 Aug;3(8):654-60.
McKie L, et al. The promotion of healthy eating: food availability and choice in Scottish island communities. Health Educ Res. 1998 Sep;13(3):371-82.
Wood D. Effects of educational focus on a graduate nurse's initial choice of practice area. J Prof Nurs. 1998 Jul-Aug;14(4):214-9.
Magzoub ME, et al.Testing a causal model of community-based education in the Sudan. Acad Med. 1998 Jul;73(7):797-802.
Davies-Adetugbo AA, et al.Breastfeeding training improves health worker performance in rural Nigeria. East Afr Med J. 1997 Aug;74(8):510-3.
Holmwood C, et al.Value-adding in the rural training stream: a release program for hospital-based rural training stream registrars. Aust J Rural Health. 1997 Nov;5(4):190-3.
Willis K, et al. Building community networks: a road trauma education and training program for rural areas. Aust J Rural Health. 1997 Feb;5(1):6-10.
Hegney D. Extended, expanded, multi-skilled or advanced practice?--rural nurses in Australia, 1991-1994. Collegian. 1997 Oct;4(4):22-7.
CIT. IDS:PMID: 9423377 UI: 98085408
Keogh JJ. Primary health care: from classroom to reality. Nurse Educ Today. 1997 Oct;17(5):376-80.
el Katsha S, et al. Schistosomiasis in two Nile delta villages: an anthropological perspective. Trop Med Int Health. 1997 Sep;2(9):846-54.
Inoue K, et al. Trial of rural practice evaluation: mutual rotation by family physicians.
Purschwitz M. University of Wisconsin agricultural safety and health activities. Wis Med J. 1997 Aug;96(8):25-9
Chemung Valley Health Network: the development of a community health information network. Zeidman C
J Nurs Care Qual. 1997 Jun;11(5):5-8.
Sociocultural aspects of tuberculosis control in Ethiopia. Vecchiato NL. Med Anthropol Q. 1997 Jun;11(2):183-201.
Reduction of trachoma in a sub-Saharan village in absence of a disease control programme. Dolin PJ, et al.
Lancet. 1997 May 24;349(9064):1511-2.
The social and educational outcome of a cohort of rural children in relation to the racial and socioeconomic groupings of their parents.
: McDermott R, et al. J Paediatr Child Health. 1997 Apr;33(2):175-6.
Social and educational outcome of rural children. Stanley F. J Paediatr Child Health. 1997 Apr;33(2):174; discussion 175-6.
A study of the educational and research priorities of registered nurses in rural Australia. : Bell PF, et al.
J Adv Nurs. 1997 Apr;25(4):794-800.
Evaluation of a model for improving emergency medical and trauma services for children in rural areas.
: Smith GA, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 1997 Apr;29(4):504-10.
Impacting maternal and child nutrition in rural Vietnam: experiences of an American nurse-consultant.
: Updika P. J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 1997 Mar;9(3):111-5.
A pragmatic approach to educating rural health services on quality management.
: Turner R, et al.
J Qual Clin Pract. 1997 Mar;17(1):13-9.
Toward reducing the spread of HIV in northeastern Thai villages: evaluation of a village-based intervention.
: Elkins D, et al. AIDS Educ Prev. 1997 Feb;9(1):49-69.
Integrating family medicine residents into a rural practice.
: Kelly L. Can Fam Physician. 1997 Feb;43:277-86.
Advanced education for the role of rural nurse generalist. Long KA, et al. J Nurs Educ. 1997 Feb;36(2):91-4.
Community education programs to promote mammography participation in rural New York State.
: Flynn BS, et al.
Prev Med. 1997 Jan-Feb;26(1):102-8.