Revalidación de títulos médicos extranjeros: eficacia y eficiencia de un examen colaborativo y estandarizado / A collaborative objective structured clinical examination for title revalidation by foreign medical graduates in Chile

Background: Title revalidation of foreign medical graduates to practice medicine in Chile is a complex and expensive process. According to the legislation they are required to approve the Unique National Exam of Medical Knowledge (EUNACOM), which has a theoretical and a practical section. Aim: To demonstrate that a collaborative and standardized examination of the practical section of EUNACOM is more effective and efficient than traditional practical examinations. Material and Methods: The faculties of Medicine of the Catholic University of Chile, University of Chile and University of Concepción were associated to implement an examination proposal, framed in the legislation. The EUNACOM board supported and funded the initiative which consisted in the implementation of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for each basic specialty of medicine, applied to 40 designated candidates. This format was selected because of the wide experience and evidence at the international level in the certification of medical professionals. Results: A collaborative and standardized OSCE reduces to less than half the time spent by examiners, providing more evidence of validity, reliability and objectivity. It also allows to visualize the real costs per applicant, which proved to be higher than those currently charged by EUNACOM, but comparatively lower than the examination used in the United States. Conclusions: A collaborative OSCE responds to the ethical principle of justice by being more valid, reliable, objective and cost efficient.

Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program: a view from England / Programa Mais Médicos: um ponto de vista desde a Inglaterra

The Programa Mais Medicos (PMM) is a national strategy to increase the numbers of Brazilian trained doctors entering primary care and is possibly the most significant human resource intervention in Latin America in recent years. From an English perspective, there are clearly opportunities to learn the PMM. First, PAHO’s role in the PMM provides an exemplar for an overarching human resource migration and recruitment role throughout the EU. The role of the WHO in influencing and overseeing the recruitment of doctors throughout the EU could be an opportunity for improved distribution, avoiding a reliance on market forces. Secondly, a centrally-coordinated and governed process following well-established criteria and guidance laid out in law has helped to ensure that doctors are allocated to regions of the greatest need. Finally, the deployment of primary care doctors to ensure that the needs of the whole population are met, including in hard-to-reach areas. However, Brazil should not fall into the trap of doing much, and evaluating little. Brazil is in an exciting position to conduct robust before-after studies regarding the improvement in access, outcomes and equity that the ESF has already been credited with. Evaluation must include the impact of the PMM on Cuba.

O Programa Mais Médicos (PMM) é uma estratégia nacional para aumentar o número de médicos brasileiros formados entrando na área de cuidados primários e é, sem dúvida, a intervenção de recursos humanos mais importante na América Latina nos últimos anos. De uma perspectiva inglesa, é evidente que existem oportunidades para aprender com o PMM. Em primeiro lugar, o papel da OPAS no PMM fornece um exemplo para um modelo de migração de recursos e recrutamento humano global em toda a UE. O papel da OMS em influenciar e fiscalizar o recrutamento de médicos em toda a UE poderia ser uma oportunidade para melhorar a distribuição, evitando a dependência nas forças de mercado. Em segundo lugar, um processo centralmente coordenada e governada de acordo com critérios bem estabelecidos e as orientações constantes da lei tem ajudado a garantir que os médicos sejam alocados em regiões de maior necessidade. Por fim, a implementação de médicos de cuidados primários garante que as necessidades de toda a população sejam atendidas, incluindo em áreas de difícil alcance. No entanto, o Brasil não deve cair na armadilha de avaliar pouco. O Brasil pode fazer estudos robustos sobre a melhoria do acesso pelos resultados e equidade com que a ESF já foi creditada. A avaliação deve incluir o impacto do PMM em Cuba.

Monitoring and evaluation of the PAHO/WHO cooperation project, the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program: a mid-term assessment / Monitoramento e avaliação do Projeto de Cooperação da OPAS/OMS com o Programa Mais Médicos: reflexões a meio caminho

As relações de trabalho entre a Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde/Organização Mundial da Saúde (OPAS/OMS) e as instituições de saúde do Brasil têm uma longa história de cooperação com benefícios mútuos que, em muitos casos, foram compartilhados com outras nações sob diversos enfoques de cooperação entre os países para o desenvolvimento da saúde. Um marco nesta relação é a cooperação técnica prestada ao Programa Mais Médicos (PMM). Esta cooperação agrega valor estratégico na redução das lacunas em matéria de igualdade de saúde e capitaliza a natureza única da experiência de cooperação Sul-Sul entre Cuba e Brasil, triangulada através da OPAS/OMS. Este artigo discute o papel da OPAS/OMS na avaliação da sua cooperação técnica com o PMM. Foi desenvolvido um marco de monitoramento e avaliação, visando identificar progressivamente os avanços na cobertura e qualidade dos serviços de atenção básica proporcionados pelo Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) por meio do PMM. Especial atenção foi dedicada à identificação das melhores práticas nos serviços de saúde, à análise dos resultados e impactos do PMM, e à gestão e divulgação dos conhecimentos produzidos pela sua implementação, através de plataforma de conhecimento. Alguns resultados relevantes do PMM são sinteticamente apresentados e discutidos.

Working relations between the Pan- American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and Brazilian health institutions accumulated a long history of cooperation with mutual benefits, which in many cases were shared with other nations under various cooperation frameworks among countries for health development. A milestone in this relationship is the technical cooperation provided by PAHO/WHO to the More Doctors Program (Programa Mais Médicos - PMM). This cooperation has added both strategic value in reducing gaps in health equality and has capitalized on the unique nature of the Cuba-Brazil South-South cooperation experience, triangulated through PAHO/WHO. This paper discusses PAHO/WHO’s role in the evaluation of its technical cooperation within PMM. A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework has been developed in order to progressively identify the advances in coverage and quality of primary health care provided by the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) through the PMM. Special attention was given to identify best practices in health services, to analyze results and impacts of the PMM, and to manage and share knowledge that has been produced by its implementation, through a web-based knowledge platform. Some relevant results of PMM are briefly presented and discussed.

Reconocimiento y equiparación de títulos profesionales médicos: el caso de Costa Rica / Recognition and comparison of medical professional tittle: the case of Costa Rica

Justificación y objetivo: El presente trabajo se efectúa para tener una visión actualizada y completa de las características del proceso de reconocimiento y equiparación que se aplica a los títulos de médico obtenidos en universidades extranjeras. Asimismo se incluyen algunas consideraciones que permiten proponer medidas que coadyuven a garantizar la calidad e idoneidad del médico general. Métodos: Se revisaron todas las solicitudes presentadas en el lapso comprendido entre enero de 1990 y diciembre de 1998, las leyes, reglamentos y convenios relacionados con el proceso. Se colectó la información en un formulario para registro estandarizado de las variables. Resultados: De las 688 solicitudes presentadas, 56 por ciento fueron aprobadas: el 38 por ciento a través de la aprobación de exámenes y el 18 por ciento por aplicación de convenios o internacionales o atestados. El 44 por ciento reprobó el examen especial de equiparación. Se observó una tendencia creciente del número de solicitudes. Conclusiones: El aumento de solicitudes de equiparación de títulos obtenidos en el extranjero y de profesionales que no aprueban el examen, respectivo, hace necesario el desarrollo de un sistema de recertificación profesional y de acreditación de escuelas de medicina y planes de estudio de la licenciatura en medicina y cirugía, tendientes a garantizar la calidad de las entidades formadoras y la idoneidad y calidad del profesional que brinda el servicio en el campo de la salud. Descriptores: Reconocimiento y equiparación de títulos. Convenios culturales

Certificación como especialistas clínicos de médicos con formación de pre y post título en el extranjero: experiencia de la Corporación Nacional Autónoma de Certificación de Especialidades Médicas / Certification as clinical specialists of physicians with pre and post grade education at foreign countries: experience of the CONACEM

Materials and methods:The certification process for 90 physicians (38 Chilean and 52 foreing) with studies abroad is reported. Criteria for certification of specialties were the same used for physicians with studies in Chile and results were compared with those obtained by the latter. Results: Physicians with studies abroad required additional evaluations with a greater frequency than local physicians, due to the fact that foreign training programs are not well known by CONACEM members. Eighty five percent of foreighn physicians required those further evaluations, compared with 66.6 percent of all physicians certified bu the commission. Fifty five percent of Chilean physicians with studies abroad did not accept this additional assessment. Aplications for specialties of physicians with studies abroad, were rejected with a greeater frequency than those of Chilean psysicians (31 percent and 13 percent, respectively). Conclusions: Physicians with studies abroad applying for certification of medical specialties required more evaluations and were rejected with a greater frequency than Chilean physicians