About the Family Study Exercise
The Family Study exercise in Community Medicine is an important part of the undergraduate examination and carries 100 marks. Each student will be allotted one family in the rural or urban field practice area and is expected to assess the overall socio-demographic profile of the family as well as study one index case in detail.
During the exam, students will collect data about the family using structured formats, study the allotted index case, analyze the findings in the light of community health principles, and then present their case to the examiner. The index case can vary, and through it students learn different aspects of health care. For example, a child under 2 years allows exploration of feeding practices, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and immunization. A child between 2–5 years focuses on nutrition, growth monitoring, preschool health, and developmental milestones. An adolescent girl introduces issues such as anemia, menstrual hygiene, psychosocial health, and reproductive health education. A pregnant woman highlights antenatal care, maternal nutrition, and detection of high-risk pregnancies, while a lactating mother helps students learn about postnatal care, exclusive breastfeeding, maternal nutrition, and contraception. Index cases may also include patients with hypertension or diabetes, where students examine lifestyle factors, treatment compliance, and complications. A geriatric case brings attention to functional ability, dependency, chronic diseases, social support, and mental health.
Because students often find it difficult to remember what to ask or how to present the findings, using a structured format makes the process systematic and complete. To support this, the Department of Community Medicine, SJMCH Puri has prepared a handbook with ready-to-use formats and flowcharts that guide students through every step of the family case study.
You can download the handbook here: Structured Approach to Family Case Study in Community Medicine (PDF).
