Training in thyroid diseases: a need in health providers
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 

Training in thyroid diseases: a need in health providers

 

Capacitación en enfermedades tiroideas: una necesidad en los proveedores de salud

 

 

Maricela Trasancos Delgado,1 María de la Caridad Casanova Moreno2

1"Abel Santamaría Cuadrado". Teaching General Hospital Pinar del Río. Cuba. E-mail: trasanco@princesa.pri.sld.cu
2 Pinar del Río provinceHealth Headquarters. Cuba. E-mail: mcasanovamoreno@infomed.sld.cu

 

 

To the editor:

Currently the university faces serious challenges to fulfill its social mission. In recent decades, changes in the world have shaken society and there has not been any sector, whether productive, economic or services, that has not felt the impact of globalization. Health has undoubtedly been one of the most affected in most countries, especially in the Americas, because it has to undergo profound transformations in a short period of time, with greater evidence in underdeveloped or developing countries.1

In order to respond to the needs of society, the university must offer a relevant educational response with the fundamental purpose of forming, researching, promoting, generating and disseminating knowledge, as well as developing cooperation and integration mechanisms.1

Today the pertinence of the university is closely related to the ability of adaptation and conditioning to social contexts, so it requires a transformation to achieve efficiency in correspondence with the profound socio-cultural and economic changes, which imprint a particular hallmark to educational systems.2

Every day, the teaching care and research integration that is developed in health services becomes more important. In this sense, the increase in the quality of medical education has a positive impact on the quality of care;3 on the other hand, postgraduate education guarantees continuity among university graduates, emphasizes collective learning, integration in networks, the development of research, technology, culture and art in search of a higher professional and innovative competence.4

This subsystem is relevant insofar as it is oriented to the solution of problems related to the updating and professionalization of human resources, in the interest of promoting the permanent improvement of man in society, with the intention of guaranteeing its development.4

Today, thyroid diseases are an important health problem, since there is an increase in their diagnostic frequency; in fact it is the second disease that is treated in endocrinology consultations.5 In an exploratory diagnosis carried out by the authors, it has been verified that there are difficulties in the approach of the thyroid diseases from the curriculum of the Comprehensive General Medicine specialty, as well as insufficient preparation of the doctors of the primary health care to diagnose, treat and educate to people with thyroid diseases, which is evidenced through incorrect referrals to the endocrinology inter-consultations, increased indiscriminate use of resources such as thyroid ultrasound, hormonal determinations of TSH, T4, and thyroid biopsies. The authors consider that there is insufficient quantity and quality of postgraduate programs related to thyroid diseases in Pinar del Río province, and we suggest a review of their behavior in the rest of the provinces of the country.

In addition to the aforementioned theoretical references, it was taken into accounts what has been said by Salas Perea6 "... motivate professionals and technicians to improve their performance and adopt lifelong professional development as a way of life in this new millennium is not only important but necessary to satisfy the social order, because the quality of a health service is in the first order of the level of competence and performance of its workers in the fulfillment of their labor and social functions ..." and by Castro:7 " ... because a doctor who graduates today and no longer studies, in ten years it is a dangerous practitioner, an ignorant practical physician ...; therefore, study and work with the doctor, we must continue educating them ... "

Just look at the doors of contemporary technology and science to ask if it is possible to live and to know the future world, without an enormous amount of preparation and knowledge; This is why we believe that it is pertinent to call attention to the need for professional improvement regarding thyroid diseases in order to increase competence and professional performance in health providers, and thus provide care with the quality required of people who suffer from these diseases.

 

Declaration of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

1. Pupo Ávila NL, Pérez Perea L, Alfonso García A, Pérez Hoz G, González Varcálcel B. Aspectos favorecedores y retos actuales para la misión de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas Cubana. Educ Med Super [Internet]. 2013 [citado 19 Feb 2017];27(1):[aprox. 11 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0864-21412013000100014

2. Martín Sospedra DR. La formación docente universitaria en Cuba: Sus fundamentos desde una perspectiva desarrolladora del aprendizaje y la enseñanza. Rev. Estudios Pedagógicos [Internet]. 2015 [citado 19 Feb 2017];41(1):[aprox. 14 p.]. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-07052015000100020&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es

3. Salas Perea RS. La identificación de necesidades de aprendizaje. Educ Med Super [Internet]. 2003 [citado 24 Feb 2017];17(1):[aprox. 13 p.]. Disponible en: http://bvs.sld.cu/revistas/ems/vol17_1_03/ems03103.pdf

4. González Capdevila O, Mesa Carpio N, González Franco M. La superación profesional en las universidades de ciencias médicas, tendencias y exigencias actuales. EDUMECENTRO [Internet]. 2013 [citado 18 Feb 2017];5(2): [aprox. 6 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2077-28742013000200004

5. Turcios Tristá SE. Las enfermedades tiroideas como problema de salud y la importancia de su actualización. Rev Cubana Endocrinol [Internet]. 2012 [citado 25 Feb 2017];23(3):[aprox. 3 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/pdf/end/v23n3/end01312.pdf

6. Salas Perea RS, Salas Mainegra A. Los modos de actuación profesional y su papel en la formación del médico. EDUMECENTRO [Internet]. 2014 [citado 20 Feb 2017];6(2):[aprox. 18 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S207728742014000200002&lng=es

7. Castro Ruz F. Discurso clausura Cuarto Congreso de Educación Superior. La Habana: Oficina de Publicaciones del Consejo de Estado; 6 de febrero 2004.

 

 

Submitted: February 20 2016.
Accepted: October 3 2016.

 

 

Maricela Trasancos Delgado."Abel Santamaría Cuadrado". Teaching General Hospital Pinar del Río. Cuba. E-mail: trasanco@princesa.pri.sld.cu

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