ABSTRACT
Introduction: Active screening in Cuba demonstrated wide usefulness and effectiveness in the confrontation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participation of students and professors from medical universities contributed to greater efficiency. Objective: To describe the usefulness of active research in the confrontation of the COVID-19 pandemic, as an epidemiological strategy and a scientific-cultural experience. Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out. The universe was made up of 140 students of medical science. The sample was composed of twelve students from a screening brigade, two family medicine specialists and two nursing graduates from the family medical offices selected by nonprobabilistic sampling by feasibility, organized in pairs. The actions were structured in four stages: recognition, characterization, rectification-confrontation and consolidation. The data were obtained from the surveys carried out and from the daily data collection model. Results: The procedure used, with dates of history, arts and sciences, as well as field trip to historical sites, was novel for the students and staff of the family medical offices. 83% considered the work carried out as very useful and 75% valued it as mostly different. 100% of the population was studied by screening every week. Conclusions: Active screening is an effective diagnostic action that can be used for contributing to cultural training and strengthening ideological-political work with students. © 2021, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.