Work

Evaluation of the family medicine intern rotation in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: South Africa introduced a 6-month rotation in family medicine (FM) as part of the 2-year internship. This necessitated a restructuring of the traditional hospital rotations. It is not known if the new rotation is meeting the goals set by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The aim was to evaluate the new FM rotation for medical interns in South Africa. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 260 interns, 74 supervisors across 34 intern programmes in all provinces of South Africa in 2025. Quantitative data were collected using a validated questionnaire, distributed using Redcap, and analysed descriptively in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS: Most interns 'strongly agreed' that they learnt how to refer patients (57.8%), how to manage people with chronic conditions (55.7%), and to take greater responsibility for clinical decision-making (53.9%). Most interns also 'agreed' that they learnt to coordinate care between the district and referral hospitals (72.8%), to consider the patient's perspective (70.5%) and context (67.8%), to manage undifferentiated conditions (68.3%) and to rationalise prescribing (62.7%). Most interns reported little exposure to palliative care (58.2%), community-based services (56.0%) and quality improvement (50.2%). A substantial proportion reported little exposure to public health medicine (42.2%), continuity of care (26.2%) and forensic medicine (24.4%). CONCLUSION: The intern rotation in FM is fulfilling its promise in developing junior doctors who are fit for purpose and better able to cope with the community service year, with some specific areas for improvement.Contribution: The findings confirm the value of the rotation and should guide quality improvement.

Source: South African Family Practice

DOI: 10.4102/safp.v68i1.6363

Authors: Robert J. Mash, Febisola Ajudua, Mergan Naidoo, Klaus von Pressentin

Institutions: Stellenbosch University, Walter Sisulu University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Town

Language: English

Topic: Innovations in Medical Education

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $856