Evaluation of the family medicine intern rotation in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey
5 affiliations
- 1Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- 2Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
- 3Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
- 4Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- 5Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family, Community and Emergency Care, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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.
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BibTeX
@article{mash2026evaluation,
title = {{Evaluation of the family medicine intern rotation in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey}},
author = {Robert J. Mash and Febisola Ajudua and Mergan Naidoo and Klaus B. von Pressentin},
journal = {South African Family Practice},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.4102/safp.v68i1.6363},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v68i1.6363},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluation of the family medicine intern rotation in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey
AU - Robert J. Mash
AU - Febisola Ajudua
AU - Mergan Naidoo
AU - Klaus B. von Pressentin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - South African Family Practice
DO - 10.4102/safp.v68i1.6363
UR - https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v68i1.6363
AB - 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.
SN - 2078-6190
SN - 2078-6204
ER -