Medical students as family-health advocates: Arabian Gulf University experience.

Background: The Arabian Gulf University is a coeducational Islamic institution in the Kingdom of Bahrain sponsored by the Gulf Cooperative Council. The College of Medicine follows a problem-based curriculum in which science is integrated with professional skills and a community-health programme, comprising of maternal and child health, family studies, and population-health research. The family-studies programme requires all third-year students to complete a wide series of activities under family-physician supervision.Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the performance of the programme with specific regard to students’ family-health advocacy roles.Method: A trained community-health nurse administered a semistructured questionnaire based on family empowerment to 30 families. Themes included health-knowledge gains, positive changes in lifestyle and communication practices, and accessing community resources.Results: All families reported a gain in relevant health knowledge, and a number of families report...