Basics of Family Medicine

1.Describe and understand the professional competences, duties and principles of organisation of the family doctor’s practice.

2.Recognize and use the equipment of the family doctor's practice for the performance of diagnostic manipulations in the family doctor's practice

3.Understands the principles of effective doctor-patient communication and patient-centred care in family doctor practice;

4.Knows principles, indications, contraindications and vaccination schedule for children and adults in family doctor’s practice;

5.Explains the principles of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of malignant tumours; Understands the importance and types of cancer screening programmes; Describes the most common symptoms of oncological patients and the principles of symptomatic and palliative therapy in family doctor's practice;

6.Understands the principles of care for multimorbid patients, review of drug therapy and deprescribing in family doctor's practice;

7.Knows the basics of reproductive health, family planning and contraception, and explains the principles of family planning, contraception and pre-pregnancy counselling in family doctor's practice;

8.Describes the most common causes of cough and shortness of breath, principles of differential diagnosis and treatment in family practice.

9.Knows the most common causes of elevated body temperature, principles of differential diagnosis, additional examination and treatment in family doctor's practice.

10.Knows the most common causes of chest pain, the principles of differential diagnosis and the signs of life-threatening conditions in a family doctor's practice .

1.After successful completion of the study course requirements, the student will be able to: *) communicate with primary care patients and their relatives; *) apply examinations, perform diagnostic manipulations to clarify the diagnosis according to the attached skills: *) make recommendations and assess their success in conditions characteristic of real family doctors' practices in Latvia according to the topics included in the course. In the study course "Basics of Family Medicine" GMK-002LV MF 9. , day classes work in family doctors' practices (clinically based class). At the beginning of the course, students agree with the selected family doctors on training in practices at a specific time During the placement, the student prepares one clinical case report and questions for discussion about this case. It is advisable to choose a case on one of the topics indicated in e-studies and discussed in classes (for example, oncology, multimorbidity, patient with fever, chest pain, cough, etc.).

2.Able to assess the vaccination status of a patient and develop an individualized vaccination plan.

3.Able to evaluate symptoms of oncological patients and justify appropriate symptomatic therapy tactics. Able to justify the need for screening.

4.Able to identify the risks of polypharmacy and to assess the appropriateness of drug therapy for a patient with multimorbidity.

5.Able to assess reproductive health risk factors and justify the choice of appropriate contraceptive methods

6.Demonstrates effective communication, active listening, and shared decision-making skills.

7.Able to perform differential diagnosis of cough and shortness of breath and justify appropriate examination and treatment tactics.

8.Can perform differential diagnosis of fever, recognize dangerous conditions and the most common acute diseases in family doctor's practice, as well as justify the examination and treatment tactics.

9.Able to perform differential diagnosis of chest pain, assess the clinical risk of the patient and justify the tactics of further action.

1.Successful completion of the course will allow student to work in primary health care under a supervision of a family physician.

2.Be able to make evidence-based decisions on the need for vaccination and justify them, taking into account the individual risk factors of the patient and the principles of preventive care.

3.Able to integrate the principles of prevention, early diagnosis and symptomatic care of oncological diseases in developing an individualized patient care plan in a family doctor's practice.

4.Able to integrate knowledge of multimorbidity and polypharmacy to justify the principles of safe, rational and individualized pharmacotherapy.

5.Aable to make informed clinical decisions in reproductive health issues, respecting the individual needs, autonomy and informed choice of the patient.

6.Able to establish professional, empathic and mutually trusting cooperation with the patient, in compliance with the principles of medical ethics and patient-centred care.

7.Able to make informed clinical decisions in the care of patients with cough, identifying life-threatening conditions and the need for emergency care in a timely manner.

8.Able to make informed clinical decisions in the care of patients with fever, assessing the severity of illness, risk of complications and need for urgent care

9.Able to make timely and informed clinical decisions in the care of patients with chest pain, prioritizing the recognition of life-threatening conditions and patient safety.