Training of general practitioners, a Mexican medical school curriculum evaluation

Educational curricula require constant improvement to respond to the needs of students, institutions and society.

To evaluate the Plan de Estudios 2010 of the Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Documentary and qualitative study of three phases. First, revision of trends of general medicine in special databases and comparison of curricula between universities. Second, focus groups with clinical teachers and basic sciences to investigate experiences and opinions in relation to trends in general medicine. Third, a "Generalists Committee" was convened to whom the results were presented (phase one and two) and the recommendations were adapted to adapt the results to the general practitioner's context. The participants were informed about the research objective and their participation was voluntary, the anonymity of theirs comments was protected.

The trend towards specialization in clinical practice defines the future of general medicine, and the administrative uses have an impact on the practices of the general practitioner and on the patient's medical relationship.

Various aspects mainly educational and assistance hindered the quality of the practice of general medicine.