[Post-graduate specialist training in infectious diseases]

The Infectious Diseases specialty is not currently recognised in Spain, despite it existing in most developed countries and there being clinical Infectious Diseases units in the 17 Autonomous Communities, as Departments, Sections or Units. Before organising a post-graduate teaching system in Infectious Diseases, it has to be officially recognised as a specialty and an official training programme established for future specialists through the Medical Residents system. As the specialty is officially recognised there is no specific post-graduate programme in his field. This situation prevents the complete, qualified and evaluable training of the physicians who are going to be dedicated to the care of patients with infectious diseases. This change must take place as soon as possible to ensure, as in the rest of the medical specialties, the training of new specialists to be able to maintain quality and effective care of patients with infectious diseases despite the generational changeover. We propose a model for the training of specialists in Infectious Diseases, in which we define the competences that the future specialist must acquire, a training programme which will enable these competences to be achieved and the characteristics health centres must have for training future specialists.