[Education needs for the development of binational programs of health care]

The purpose of this article is to describe a research project carried out in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The main objective was to find out the continuing education needs of the staff implementing Primary Health Care (phc) programs developed with Mexican migrant workers. The methodology was based on applied research techniques. It was divided into two stages. The first stage was an interview which was applied to the coordinators of three programs: medical care, health education and sexually transmitted diseases. The second part of the methodology was to design a continuing education course with the input of the first stage. The course was implemented in the School of Public Health of Mexico in 1990. It had three main components: sociology and health in Mexico; health programmes in Mexico, and traditional medicine. The course also included a set of visits to clinics, hospitals and curanderos. The course has generated a group of scholars who are planning projects in this field to define the health needs of the migrant Mexican population in that area and the impact in Mexico. The course is also part of the regular Continuing Education Programme of the School of Public Health of Mexico now.