Educational Strategies to Develop and Implement a Comprehensive Health Care Model Focused on Primary Care in Colombia

Abstract

The traditional, subject-based medical curriculum in Colombia has been mainly focused on the biomedical model proposed by Flexner in 1910. This means learning outcomes or competences are framed on curative care and the specialization of physicians. Students are mainly trained to work in highly complex hospitals in urban centers and encouraged to enroll (as soon as possible) in residencies. This curriculum lacks pertinence to implement the new Colombian Primary Health Care Model as the focus is a shift toward the promotion of health and prevention of illness. Recommendations to provide light on how to implement a change for ensuring pertinence of medical education in this context are discussed.

Understanding the relevance of surgical specialties in undergraduate medical education: Insights of graduates

“…Despite the reported benefits of RSSs, some medical educators have argued that students' undergraduate clinical training should focus on low‐complexity healthcare settings 6 . These educators argue that developing countries (with serious deficiencies in their healthcare systems) require medical schools to prioritise primary healthcare teaching to improve health outcomes for patients and communities 6 . This emphasis is especially critical in rural areas facing significant challenges in accessing healthcare services.…”

“…6 These educators argue that developing countries (with serious deficiencies in their healthcare systems) require medical schools to prioritise primary healthcare teaching to improve health outcomes for patients and communities. 6 This emphasis is especially critical in rural areas facing significant challenges in accessing healthcare services. Primary healthcare is conceptualised in this context as the provision of disease prevention, health promotion, early disease diagnosis and treatment of most diseases at the primary level of the healthcare system.…”

“…Some authors argue that RSSs should be included in medical curricula as mandatory and even propose their integration from the early stages of student training 3,4 . Other medical educators assert that clinical training should only emphasise primary healthcare, excluding RSSs 5,6 . A third group of educators proposes to include RSSs in clinical training but limited to learning the overall knowledge of the pathophysiology of the surgical patient 7…”

“…3,4 Other medical educators assert that clinical training should only emphasise primary healthcare, excluding RSSs. 5,6 A third group of educators proposes to include RSSs in clinical training but limited to learning the overall knowledge of the pathophysiology of the surgical patient. 7 There is little and controversial evidence on the relevance of RSSs in the clinical training of undergraduate medical students, as well as their usefulness in the lives of graduates.…”

Competency-based and primary health care oriented undergraduate nursing programme: Curriculum development and implementation process

“…[10] Adopting a competency-based approach when developing and implementing PHC-oriented curricula is essential. [16] This approach to the curriculum is viewed as a disciplined approach aimed at specifying the health problems in the population as well as the health system needs that need to be addressed and systematically identifying the requisite graduate competencies for health system performance which are used as building blocks and an organised framework around which systematic instruction, assessment, grading, and reporting are based. [17] A competency-based curriculum is gaining popularity in nursing education institutions as it is believed to have the potential to make the desired change in the education and training of nurses by producing competent nurses who are fit for purpose.…”