Do Future Physicians Know the Duties of District Health Directorates?

Objective: In Türkiye, district health directorates (DHDs) are the peripheral administrative units of the Ministry of Health operating at the district level. The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge of the fifth and sixth grade students of 2 medical schools about the duties of DHDs regarding primary health care services.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Istanbul, Türkiye between September and December 2024 with 331 medical students from 2 medical schools who voluntarily agreed to participate. In the absence of prior data, the minimum sample size was calculated as 210 based on assumptions, and a total of 331 students were reached in the study. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling among fifth and sixth-year medical students prior to their public health internship. Data were collected using a supervised self-administered 72-item questionnaire, which included sociodemographic variables and items assessing knowledge of District Health Directorate duties grouped under 5 domains.
Results: A total of 331 students participated (184 fifth year, 147 sixth year; 54.1% female). In the first group, studies on infectious diseases, 64.8%; in the second group, environmental health, 63.6%; in the third group, non-infectious diseases, children, adolescents, women, reproductive health, cancer early diagnosis and screening, and education center studies, 63.5%; in the fourth group, health management, 58%; and in the fifth group, other studies, 68.2% students answered the questions correctly. There were no statistically significant differences in total scores by gender (P = .966) or academic year (P = .753).
Conclusion: It has been determined that students have close to 50% or more correct knowledge of primary health care issues. However, this level is not sufficient, and it has been concluded that theoretical and practical training in public health courses in medical schools should be developed, and more research should be conducted on this subject.  

 

Cite this article as: Önal AE, Gündoğdu BPS, Özkan B, et al. Do future physicians know the duties of district health directorates? Cerrahpaşa Med J. 2026, 50, 0027, doi: 10.5152/cjm.2026.26027.