Guidelines for Oral Presentation for the Rural Health Module
The aim of this assignment is for you to capture something that you have learned during the Rural
Health Module that differentiates rural from urban experience for the patient/family, the doctor or
the community. This may be based around a particular patient/family/doctor, and should explore
one of the themes or learning objectives of the RHM.
The practicalities of the assessment (page 11) and the assessment criteria (page 23) are outlined.
Your assignment should be based on an actual patient/situation that you see during the RHM, but
if you don’t have all the information available, use the knowledge of conditions and services etc.
which you have gained during your placement to provide the necessary background.
Most preceptors will already have projects and presentation topics in mind for your placement.
Often these build on what previous students have done and, in some cases, the work of students
over several consecutive placements in one community will lead to publication of results and/or
successful applications for funding to help the community. Any projects that are eventually going
to be published need ethics clearance before the collection of any data.
If you have an idea for a project, please discuss this with your preceptor as they will have the best
information as to whether what you propose is feasible.
The best presentations are analytical rather than purely descriptive. Rather than just describing
what is happening, look at why this is so; does it need to change? – if so offer concrete, workable
alternatives; and quote references to support your views.
What follows are suggestions only. They are not proscriptive or all-inclusive.
Topics you might consider:
What additional facilities does this community need to improve health care? Consider personnel, equipment, finances, education, communication etc. Make a case to a government body for funding.
What is working well in this community? Give examples of effective programmes, how they arose and were implemented and why they are effective.
What are the needs of special groups in this community – men, women, indigenous groups, youth, the elderly? How are these being addressed and how could this be improved?
What impact does the patient’s illness/management have on their life? Consider distance to travel,
time away from work, financial aspects, family involvement/support. How would this be different
for a similar person in an urban setting? How many and what type of people (family, health
professionals) are involved in this patient’s care? Would this differ (more or fewer?) in an urban
environment?
What are the circumstances for this patient which affect timing of discharge (from a city hospital)?
Consider availability of rehabilitation programmes, imaging, local specialists, distance from GP.
What effect might communication breakdown between rural and urban health providers have onpatient care?
What are the implications for privacy and confidentiality in a rural setting? What are the benefits
and drawbacks of doctors encountering their patients in social settings?
How does a rural area with a hospital differ from one where there is no hospital in regard to the
personnel and skills needed?
“If I were mayor of …….”. Consider the changes you would make to the town to improve the
health of its people. This would address not only medical services and their organisation but other
factors which may impact on health – water, roads, education, etc. Quote references to support
how these changes would improve health outcomes.
Ways you might present the assignment:
If your assignment is based around a case, the case presentation should not take more than 10
mins. The rest of the presentation should then expand upon some aspect of that patient’s care or
the impact for the family, doctor or community that is peculiar to the rural setting.
Powerpoint is acceptable but not mandatory. Use your imagination, present a skit or a play or run
a mock consultation that shows the impact of the rural setting.
Consult the marking sheet on page 23 to make sure you address the important points for which the
examiners will be looking.
References:
Five to ten recent references should be quoted, using the Vancouver style, to support your
statements.