Only a fifth of US medical students choose primary care
BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d2684 (Published 27 April 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d2684
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At present, Argentinian medical schools train future graduates to
focus their efforts towards primary health care. Thus, some concerns
come into view when we consider the particular situation faced by a
developed country such as the US and what occurs in a developing one such as Argentina.
*In a disorganized health care system such as Argentina has, is primary care a
suitable strategy for satisfying health care demands of all social class
groups?
*Argentinian sanitary authorities are truly persuaded about it or it
constitutes a way of saying to their voters: "we are doing something in
this regard as expected"?
*Is it possible that efforts put on primary care finally become a sort of
primitive care for people with no means of support?
*Why are general physicians, beyond being catalogued as specialists by our
Medical College, limited in number when compared with those
specialized in any other medical field?
*Why, prior to putting a particular accent on primary care, did Argentinian
medical curricula not especially emphasise training excellent
physicians apt to solve different health requirements through curing when
possible or through a quick and reliable referral when needed? This type
of decision should be based on critical thinking, a repeated expression in
most medical curricula despite the absence of systematic training during
the medical career.
*In this context, primary care is here considered an authentic shift or
only a convenient way to obtain different types of benefits regardless of
the advantages it implies?
Although other questions related to primary health care may be
formulated, we think that the above mentioned ones are quite sufficient to
put into brackets an issue which must still be openly debated.
aedottavio@hotmail.com
Competing interests: No competing interests
The Cuban dentist in the family medicine model
The General Stomatology Specialty stems from the National Health
System and the implementation of a Primary Care Model with a totally
different concept in solving community problems, family and the individual, using a biosocial approach with prevailing criteria for health promotion
and disease prevention.
The specialist in General Stomatology is a comprehensive profile
professional ready to ensure dental care at the primary level of health,
promotion, prevention, cure and rehabilitation with the rest of the health team, of which he or she is an integral
part and which aims to increase the level of health of a defined population.
Between 95% and 97% of graduates doing postgraduate studies in Cuba are
specialists in primary care dentistry. This is the fundamental link of
dental care as it develops its practice in primary care, linking
directly to the family doctor and other dental specialties and sectors of
the community.
Competing interests: No competing interests