Article Type:  Editorial

Title:   Medical Entomology teaching and research to medical students in a teaching medical institute in Pondicherry – A view and experience of a teaching faculty

Year: 2023; Volume: 3; Issue: 1; Page No: 1 – 2

Author:   Jayanthi Sureshbabu*
https://doi.org/10.55349/ijmsnr.20233112
Affiliation:  Editor-In-Chief, International Journal of Medical Sciences and Nursing Research, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India and Former Lecturer in Medical Entomology, Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalapet, Pondicherry, India.

Email ID:  Editor-in-chief@ijmsnr.com

Article Summary:  Submitted:  15-February-2023; Revised:  28-February 2023; Accepted:  10-March-2023; Published:  31-March-2023

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Introduction

Medical entomology (ME) is a branch of entomology which elaborates/deals with arthropods which affect the health and wellbeing of human and vertebrate animals. Moreover, medical entomology is the branch of medical science which directly concerned with vectors with affect human and animals’ health. The discipline of medical entomology is public health entomology, and veterinary entomology.  It is an important and needed subject in medical teaching and research. [1] ME is the important and an essential subject to the undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.  Most of the scientific information related to life come out especially from insects only.  For example, Hematophagy are pets and vectors are creating diseases to humans and animals.  By these types of diseases only to make a way to discovery of new drugs, vaccines, insecticides, and tools for their management.  For the year 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Prof. Tu Youyou for her contributions to the discovery of artemisinin.  In this article, I discussed about the subject medical entomology, its importance, medical entomology in education and research through reorientation of medical education program in the medical field.

Medical Entomology [2]

Medical Entomology is a science that deals with the study of arthropods and incorporates sciences like biology, zoology, parasitology, and microbiology.  ME is very importance to public health to all developed and developing countries.  It is a very highly fascinating and enterprising discipline with enormous possibilities of generating of novel knowledge, innovative entrepreneurship, and other opportunities.  Most of the illnesses are happening by inset-borne only in tropical countries.  Medical Entomology is very important one in medical education/curriculum because by this entomology especially medical entomology only will gain some knowledge about insect vectors, its habits, how they transmit diseases, and how to control the measures of insects.

Implementation of Medical Entomology in medical education through reorientation of medical education (ROME) program

I toughed, the subject medical entomology to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students for 7 years in various teaching medical collages in Pondicherry, India.  The students gained the proper knowledge in medical entomology, its uses, implications, and its importance in public health.  The UG medical students have trained through various spotters and slides related to medical entomology in a good manner.  I have cleared their doubts in ME then and there in ME very nicely.

Re-Orientation of Medical Education (ROME) [3, 4] was implemented by the Srivastava Committee in the year 1977. [5] In my worked medical college have conducted ROME program to the undergraduate medical students at the time of their internship program in the Department of Community Medicine in 24 x 7 for a month period. ROME program is very important and mandatory in medical education to UG medical student. By this program, medical education faculties of the Department of Community Medicine will also increase their knowledge in the recent development, subject and about the community in and around of their rural/urban community. [6] Medical students have to knowledge about the communities/people.  Under this program, the whole group of UG medical students are divided into 4 groups and one group to be assigned to medical entomology every year.  I helped to the medical students to choose a research topic related to medical entomology, make the suitable questionnaire/study proforma to a particular study, clarify major doubts in the questionnaire, how to conduct the research/study, how to ask the questions with study participants, and how to entry the open-ended answers in the questionnaire.  The data entry and data analysis was taught by the Biostatistician in a rotation way in the Department of Community Medicine.  By this ROME posting training medical students were well trained in the research and methodology and to become a good and well-trained physician in their career/future. [7] So, both the UG and PG medical students were got the confident to work in the villages after finishing their internship.

Conclusion

Medical Entomology is an important and most essential subject to the undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. Through these medical students are getting a keen knowledge about the insects, vectors, and arthropods.  ME is an important to all developed and developing countries.  So, medical entomology education is a mandatory one to the medical students.  To fix and to educate the subject in a good manner by fixing a concern expert/educator in all medical colleges and to produce a good knowledge and well trained physicians to our country India.  Then, only the medical graduate are ready to work in any kind of pandemic situations.

References

  1. Howard LO. The needs of medical entomology.  The American Naturalist 1927;61(673):173-179.   Available from:  https://www.jstor.org/stable/2458849
  2. Medical Entomology: Available from: https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/health/ephti/library/lecture_notes/env_health_science_students/medicalentomology.pdf [Last Accessed on: 1st February 2023]
  3. Best Practices at MGIMS Sevagram: Reorientation of Medical Education (ROME) Camp.  Available from:  https://www.mgims.ac.in/files/NAAC/rome.pdf  [Last Accessed on:  4th February 2023]
  4. Deo MG. Need for research oriented medical education in India.  Indian J Med Res 2009;130:105-107
  5. Shrivastav Committee, 1975. Available from:  https://www.nhp.gov.in/shrivastav-committee-1975_pg  [Last Accessed on:  10th February 2023]
  6. Adkoli BV, Gupta V, Sood R, Pandav CS. From reorientation of medical education to development of medical educators.  Indian J Public Health 2009;53(4):218-222.  PMID: 20469758
  7. Poulose KP, Natarajan PK. Re-Orientation of medical education in India past, present and future.  Indian J Public Health 1989;33(2):55-58.  PMID: 2641747

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