Perception Regarding Family Adoption Program among the Undergraduate Students of a Medical College in Coastal South India.

BACKGROUND: The rural population in India faces significant challenges in accessing quality healthcare. Family Adoption Program (FAP) not only provides an experiential learning to medical students but also brings health services closer to the community. The objective of the study was to assess the perceptions of undergraduate medical students regarding FAP. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 431 medical students were assessed on their perception regarding FAP using a semi-structured questionnaire. Independent t-tests (Mann-Whitney tests for non-normal distributions) were used to compare perception scores across gender, nationality, and exposure to FAP. A P < 0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference in perception. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 20.2 ± 3.4 years. A higher proportion (n = 344, 79.8%) of the participants had the FAP as a part of their curriculum. Students without exposure to FAP rated the individual educational domain statements more favorably than those with exposure, with significant differences observed after Holm-Bonferroni correction (adjusted P = 0.045 for each statement). Nevertheless, both groups scored below the midpoint, suggesting limited perceived educational benefit. CONCLUSION: Although students perceived FAP as a useful initiative for community engagement and experiential exposure, perceptions regarding its educational impact were predominantly neutral to negative, reflecting a limited educational impact.