Strengthening Primary Health Care with Family and Community Medicine in Brazil

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of the specialty of family medicine with attention to strategies that may be used to strengthen Brazilian health care with appropriately trained family doctors. These strategies include establishing academic departments of family and community medicine in all Brazilian medical schools, ensuring a common core curriculum in training programs, and defining standards for the evaluation and certification of family doctors. These strategies could enhance the quality, scope and effectiveness of the Brazilian Family Healthcare Program.

Keywords

• Family Practice
• Employee Performance Appraisal
• Primary Health Care