Useful Contents and Skills in the Unified Program of Medical Specialties in Family Medicine

Abstract

Introduction: Family medicine is the cornerstone of primary health care and currently faces a high burden of chronic diseases and mental health problems. In this context, it is essential to prioritize the content and skills of the Single Program of Medical Specialties (PUEM) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in order to ensure that the training of family physicians remains aligned with the real health needs of the Mexican population.
Objective: To identify the topics and skills of the 2009 PUEM in Family Medicine perceived as most useful by graduates and faculty members.
Method: A convergent parallel mixed-methods study design was conducted. An online questionnaire was sent to 711 Family Medicine graduates from the 2011 and 2012 cohorts, achieving a response rate of 16.7% (n = 115), and in-depth interviews were conducted with faculty members. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed independently and subsequently integrated through triangulation.
Results: The most useful topics identified were the care of the healthy patient, chronic degenerative diseases, preventive medicine, pulmonology, depression, and anxiety. The most useful skills were the interpretation of diagnostic tests and physical examination.
Conclusions: This study identifies the most useful topics and skills and provides evidence to guide evaluation processes and curricular updating of the PUEM in Family Medicine, aligned with the real health needs of the Mexican population in the primary care setting.