DEVELOPING A COMPETENCE-BASED PREVENTIVE MEDICINE CURRICULUM FOR MEDICAL-SCHOOLS

Trends in patient morbidity and mortality, cost-effectiveness, and nat ional recommendations mandate that we practice more preventive medicin e. To address this need, we set out to develop a comprehensive curricu lum in preventive medicine for medical schools. We constructed a compe tency-based (i.e., performance-based) curriculum with specific educati onal objectives defined by outcomes. Subject areas were subdivided by life stages, and learning objectives were created separately for epide miology, assessment, and intervention. We hope that adoption of such a n educational blueprint by medical schools will measurably enhance the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for the incorporation of p reventive principles into all aspects of clinical medicine.