Capacity-building in family health: innovative in-service training program for teams in Latin America

Brazil, Chile, and Canada are among the countries where development and deployment of human resources have been central to health reform; however, it is unclear how the education and training of primary care workers is best accomplished. OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM To implement a model of in-service training in primary health care for interdisciplinary teams of primary health care professionals from Brazil and Chile.

This 5-module program targeted primary care providers from various disciplines who had at least 3 months of front-line experience. The program was offered in 2 formats: intermittent "in-country" training or an intensive course taught in Canada. In Brazil, the in-country training took place over a period of 8 to 12 months, during which 5 modules of 2 to 3 days each were interspersed with 2-month "action periods." The intensive course taught in Canada was delivered to Chilean participants in Toronto, Ont, where 3 modules were offered to a group of 12 to 20 primary health care professionals over a 6-week period. The educational methodology combined short didactic presentations, whole group learning exercises, and small group problem-based learning sessions, including team projects that were completed in between each module and presented at the beginning of the next one. During the course, the participants learned how to perform computer database searches and assess the best evidence in the management of common problems.

Pretests, posttests, and evaluations of student projects demonstrated that participants had increased knowledge, as well as increased capacity to use the best evidence to address common problems in their communities. This is a promising model, adapted to the context of primary care reform in Latin America, with strong potential to support health human resource development and multidisciplinary care by front-line providers in other countries.