Coordinator: Clinic of Social and Family Medicine
University of Crete, Greece

The mission of the Clinic of Social and Family Medicine(CSFM), headed by Professor Christos Lionis, is to provide research, teaching and clinical work in the fields of General/Family Medicine (GM/FM) and Primary Health Care (PHC). The Clinic is one of its kind in the country, operating an outpatient unit at a hospital setting, as well as a University Division at an academic setting.  
The Clinic coordinates a Research Network in General Practice in collaboration with selected Health Centers and Rural Practices in Crete. The network has been approved by the 7th Health Region of Crete and its work focuses on monitoring selected chronic conditions, while being involved in a number of research protocols in the area of GM/FM and PHC.

Important CSFM priorities include the following:
1) Development, use and diffusion of clinical guidelines in PHC
(site: http://www.cgrg.gr)
2) Translation and standardization of questionnaires and diagnostic tools used in the diagnosis of selected chronic diseases and health problems in PHC
3) Development of a novel software applicable in PHC. This software will enable the collection and processing of clinical information and the development of an algorithmic diagnostic method based on “Bayesian” analysis.
4) Training Medical School students in communication skills and developing innovative interactive teaching methods in PHC clinical training (sites: http://vml.med.uoc.gr and  http://pfy-epeaek.med.uoc.gr).
5) Introduction of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to evaluate students' academic performance.

The Clinic has established formal collaboration agreements with a number of universities and research institutes in Europe and the United States of America in order to develop multicenter studies and research protocols as well as to exchange staff and students. The Clinic's inter-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations and the methods applied for reforming clinical practice in PHC are illustrated in a number of research programs funded by the EU [FP7 projects: OTC SOCIOMED (2007)]. Last, the Clinic actively hosts exchange programs for students from Harvard University, U.S.A., and other European Universities.

For further information, please visit our website: fammed.uoc.gr