Contribution of the subject History of Cuba to the process of understanding-expression in medical students

Abstract

Background: the successful development of understanding-expression enables the effectiveness of the communicative process, and consequently, the objective of medical care in the fulfillment of its functional duties, expressed in the professional's profile.
Objective: assess the functionality of a didactic model from the subject History of Cuba to promote the understanding-expression of medical students.
Methods: a qualitative investigation was developed, with a materialist dialectical approach, at the “Manuel Fajardo” Faculty of Havana University of Medical Sciences, from 2019 to 2021. Theoretical methods were used: historical-logical, inductive-deductive and analysis-synthesis; empirical ones: documentary review and observation; the techniques: workshop and brainstorming; and instruments: observation diary and student self-report. Consultation with specialists and methodological triangulation were carried out.
Results: in the initial diagnosis: 37 students started at the low level, 19 at average level and 11 at the high level of comprehension-expression. During the application of the model, the results were modified: 8 at a low level; 35 at average level and 24 at high level. After completing the subject: only 2 remained at the low level, 4 at the average level and 61 at the high level.
Conclusions: the didactic model is functional, flexible, participatory, open and collaborative, with philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and didactic foundations, dialectically related. With its application, the gap between the demands of the professional profile and the students' comprehension-expression deficit was shortened.