Abstract
The Saudi Diploma in Family Medicine (SDFM) being a recent postgraduate program in family medicine, started in 2008. The curriculum is designed to fulfill all requirements of recent trends in methods of teaching for medical education. This diploma program includes theory as well as practical (clinical) classes. It is pragmatic and structured teaching in Family Medicine for primary care physicians. In this article we attempt to compare the SDFM curriculum with the SPICES model. The SPICES model has six innovative approaches to consider when planning a curriculum. Each of these approaches is a continuum, with more recent developments located to the left and more traditional strategies to the right.
The comparison shows that there are some shortage areas in the curriculum of SDFM and it is found that a move towards the right side of the SPICES model, especially the "problem-based approach" dimension, needs more attention.