Professional Performance of the Specialist in General Comprehensive Medicine in Health Promotion

Abstract

Introduction: The professional performance of specialists in General Comprehensive Medicine includes health promotion activities as part of the comprehensive care that they provide the population with. A definition of the professional performance of these specialists facilitates a holistic analysis of their training process and can serve as a tool for improving and designing more relevant curricula.

Objective: To develop a definition of professional performance in health promotion for specialists in General Comprehensive Medicine in Cuba.

Methods: Development research was carried out. Theoretical methods such as the systemic approach and empirical methods such as bibliographic and documentary review and analysis were used. The proposal was submitted to expert review using the Delphi method in three successive rounds of analysis.

Results: A definition of performance in health promotion by specialists in General Comprehensive Medicine is proposed, based on structural elements and theoretical references.

Conclusions: An operational definition of performance in health promotion by specialists in General Comprehensive Medicine was developed, incorporating the results and contributions of previous research. The regularities of the specialist's training process were taken into account, which is based on the indissoluble unity of training and professional performance. The proposed definition, from the sociopolitical context of Cuba, interprets performance as a process in the fulfillment of the functions of the family doctor; it highlights the role of values, attitudes and lifelong learning to improve the control and health indicators of populations.