Child development in medical education: a relevant knowledge
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17267/2594-7907ijeh.2024.e5808Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Adequate developmental surveillance is fundamental for health promotion, disorder prevention and early diagnosis. For that to occur, it is necessary that doctors have vast knowledge about the theme and are able to apply it in their practice. This recommendation is supported by Brazilian legislation about health care and by the national curricular guidelines for the medical course. Nevertheless, Brazilian medical education does not seem to fulfill this objective. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Documental analysis of the curricula of medical schools, deep interviews and focal groups with doctors who work with children and adolescents about their child and adolescent development background and their thoughts on its relevance for their clinical practice. RESULTS: Of 100 curricula evaluated, only 4 had a discipline on developmental psychology. On the other hand, all doctors from the focal groups and individual interviews emphasized its importance and their lack of knowledge about it. There were no differences between the results from the focal groups and the interviews. Learning usually comes from the contact with pathological situations, without any previous reflection about normative human development. This may lead to increased risks for child and adolescent’s health and their developmental trajectories. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to pay more attention to typical child and adolescent development during medical formation.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Tatiana Malheiros Assumpção, Patrícia Martins Montanari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
