In this post we are going to discuss about the PSM(Preventive and social medicine) study tips, Important learning or question topics and guidance of exam passing preparation with good score.
So in this article we are going to write all the Study tips for reading the PSM(preventive and social medicine) or community medicine. So here we are going to discuss “How to read the subject?’ , “What are the important topics”, and “How to score well in the university exam”.
Social medicine definition/meaning :
The methods made to prevent diseases and enhance health are referred to as preventive and social medicine. Community medicine or public health are other terms for preventive and social medicine. Medical services in preventive and social medicine range from curative to rehabilitative.
During the last few decades, preventive and social medicine have grown in popularity. It currently deals with the health issues of not just one person, but the entire community.
➔ How to read the subject ?
Reading PSM in normal manner will make you bore and ultimately you will loose the interest of studying the subject. So study the subject in proper manner is essential for all medical and nursing students. So first of all the key point of study the subject is try to correlate all the topics and things with real world practical field. And the subject is so vast and wide so you have to buy and book or note where every topics will be present in concise manner. So that during the exam time of last moment revision you can read or visualise all the parts of PSM. This will help you to recall all the topics of that subject during exam time.
This subject contains daily life health practices in our medical field. So we need to visit the health care system present in the country. You will be able to find different types of health care practices present in the health care system. The more you will be connected to the real world practices , the more you will learn and ultimately you will finish the subject with love and interest.
So your institution must organise different tours and travel to different health care system present in your surrounding area. As much as you connect to the real world, then you will be able to find interest more.
Now let’s try to correlate some topics with real world practical field.
- Epidemiology – Epidemiology simply means study upon human.A particular disease epidemiology simply means by ‘time’ ‘place’ and ‘person’. It contains cohort study and case control study. So try to read some real world epidemiological studies of diseases.
- Vaccines – Simply go and visit the nearest vaccination centre to understand each and every process of giving vaccine.
- Levels of prevention of diseases – Try to take a most occurring case like diabetes. Then try by yourself to put the prevention in each level of prevention.
- Screening of diseases – Simply means being aware before the occurrence of the disease. So try to make a screening test on a suspected individual like HIV/AIDS.
- Communicable diseases – By respiratory route mainly. So this happens day-to-day life of our daily routine. Common cold to all complicated communicable diseases like swine flu ctc.
This is how you can correlate every topic with the real world practice. Just imagine and try yourself.
➔ What are the Important topics ?
There are almost 20 chapter by which we can start the analysis of the important topics. So first of all we have to divide the massive subject in small 20 chapters. Now let’s start one by one.
- History of medicine – In this section we are going to study the rise or history of medicine. How the medical science has rose day by day. We discuss different countries medicine system. eg., Indian medicine, Chinese medicine, Egyptian medicine etc.
- Concepts of Health and Disease – Here we discuss all the theories of health and diseases. By which we can understand the causation of diseases.
- Epidemiology – Epidemiology simply means ‘study upon human’.
- Screening – Screening is the checking of disease before occurring.
- Epidemiology of communicable diseases – Communicable diseases like mumps, rubella, pox etc.
- Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases – Which does not spread though communication. Like diabetes, hypertension etc.
- Indian health programmes – All Indian health programmes launched for betterment of health in the country. Like RNTCP, Leprosy, NVBDCP, HIV etc.
- Demography and family planning – Demography simply means graphical presentation of the human population. It mainly includes demographic cycle, different stages of growth. And in family planning we need to study about the contraception, fertility indicators etc.
- Preventive obstetrics, paediatrics and geriatrics – Mother and child care. Antenatal care , postnatal care etc
- Nutrition and health – All the nutrition which we need to improve our health condition. It mainly contains macro and micro nutrients. Adulteration of food, food intoxicants etc.
- Medicine and social sciences – This chapter includes sociology, that is study about the society. Like family planning, health economics etc.
- Environment and health – Here we study about the environment and it’s correlation with the health. Like Air, water pollution and it’s effects on health.
- Biomedical waste management – Biomedical waste management is the process by which the wastes which are generated through biological works. Like in hospitals, laboratories.
- Disaster management – It includes the disaster cycle, emergency response, Disaster mitigation and preparedness, and categorization of disaster.
- Occupational health – Diseases occurs mainly due to the occupation of that person. Like thermal injuries, Pneumoconiosis, Silicosis.
- Communication for health education – It includes Approach tho health education by regulatory approach, service approach, health education approach, primary health care approach.
- Health care of the community – All the committees in the health care like Bhore, Mudaliar, Chadha, Mukherjee committees.
- International health – All the international organizations like WHO, UNICEF, FAO, ILO, UNDp, Red cross etc.
- Biostatistics – all the statistical analysis which are needed in the biomedicine. Like mean, median, mode etc.
- Genetics and health – genetical relation with our health.
➔ How to score well in University exam ?
Now come to the main part of this article that is the exam preparation guidance. Now in the university exam you are mainly going to get four types of questions.
Firstly you have to collect the previous years question papers of that university.
A. Long essay types 8-10 marks questions, where you have to write all the things in minimum 3-4 pages. And this types of long questions surely contain a flowchart or diagram. Now for diagrams and flowcharts you have to be prepared before the exam. So you have to make a notebook where you will only make diagrams and flowcharts of previous years questions.
B. Short questions of 3-4 marks – For this types of questions out of 4 questions you will get almost 3 question common from previous years. Now for one extra question you have to read the subject notes, where you will cover almost all the topics.
C. Problem solving questions of 12 marks – This is the most important and difficult part of question paper. Here you have to be prepared by a format. As a block medical officer, what are the functions you have to do. That’s it, this will answer the question. Just put the problem in that format and your answer will be ready in 4-6 pages.