ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how educational research can support the development of family medicine and primary care education in a country or region. It reflects on the experience within the Primary Care and Family Medicine (PRIMAFAMED) network and how educational research has enabled the development of family medicine and primary care in sub-Saharan Africa. The PRIMAFAMED network includes 40 academic institutions across the region within low-, low-middle and upper-middle-income countries. In thinking about the development of family medicine and primary care education, the ‘stages of change’ model has been adopted to make sense of where different countries are in the process. The different stages of change are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Each of the stages described in the chapter generate a number of key educational questions which can be addressed through research. Faculty members should see educational research as a core activity in creating training programmes that are evidence-based, contextualised, high-quality and aligned with national policy goals.
