Open Journal Systems

EDITORIALS

Received: September 15^th 2015

Accepted: September 25^th 2015

XII National Forum on Health Education

Manuel Ramiro-H.^a

^aÁrea de Producción Editorial, División de Innovación Educativa, Coordinación de Educación en Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México

Communication with: Manuel Ramiro-H

Email: manuel.ramiroh@gmail.com

In Guadalajara, on August 19, 20 and 21 was held the XII Foro Nacional de Educación en Salud, in line with the interest that both, the Dirección General and the Dirección de Prestaciones Médicas of the IMSS, have in training and updating the human resources for the care of the beneficiaries. The Unidad de Educación, Investigación y Políticas de Salud organized a meeting in which the actors of these tasks, the institutional staff and authorities from various universities worked together with the IMSS.

Keywords: Health education, Teaching, Mexico.

---

In the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, on August 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st, 2015 the XII Foro Nacional de Educación en Salud took place, an event of great importance, which highlighted the importance that the Dirección General and the Dirección de Prestaciones Médicas of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social give to the continuing training and education of personnel responsible for the care of the beneficiaries, which is one of its main functions. The Unidad de Educación, Investigación y Políticas de Salud was the organizing body. This organization emphasized its capacity to bring people together, the diversity and accuracy of the topics discussed, the meeting of the various actors involved in the development of education within the Instituto, and its management capacity for such a complex meeting to go off successfully. 

Many of the players that make up the team involved in the complex process of designing health education participated in the forum, a group composed of institutional staff responsible for its implementation, development, and establishment, who came from virtually all sectors of the Instituto as well as the central level, but the views and opinions of the universities that, together with IMSS, develop training activities, also stood out. Of course, there was UNAM through the División de Estudios Superiores de la Facultad de Medicina; students from IMSS enrolled in their courses are numerous, and the educational agreements between IMSS and UNAM, besides being numerically very large, are qualitatively essential for both; the same goes for other universities, some of which were represented at the Forum, including the Universidad de Guadalajara and the Universidad de Monterrey, among others. Other institutions of the health system were also there to analyze educational phenomena and problems, such as ISSSTE and the Secretaría de Salud. All in an atmosphere of great interest, responsibility, and cordiality.    

The lectures, brilliantly conducted by guest professors, analyzed important problems, the attitudes of diverse participants towards the phenomenon of education, and how to tread the frontier of medical knowledge that can sometimes be overwhelming and even daunting.

The symposia were especially brilliant, as much in the selection of topics as in their development; both members of educational institutions and members of IMSS itself participated, giving their views and analysis of the situation of medical specialization courses in IMSS, highlighting the efforts being made to establish better recording systems leading to increased vigilance in development and better outcomes. In another symposium, the attitudes of all stakeholders were analyzed: students, teachers, and facilitators from both the university and the institution, as well as social changes that have modified these attitudes, changes that we all have to adapt to, to stay up to date and improve results. In one of the lectures, this issue of attitudes was widely discussed. In another symposium the issue of working hours of doctors in training was discussed, an aspect that until recently was not given importance and that now receives greater attention, not only in Mexico but in many parts of the world. Balanced workdays allow the development of their own academic activities, learning the theoretical content of the programs, the ability to assimilate existing psychomotor skills into all of the specialization courses, as well as getting to incorporate research into the contents, without tiring much less strenuous days, which is no easy task; it was proposed to continue the search for balance. Other symposia were attended by the deputy of IMSS in the state of Jalisco and three UMAE directors, who highlighted the importance of high quality education for the proper functioning of a highly specialized hospital, and the symbiosis between care and education.

The activities of the working groups were very interesting and productive, reviewing the achievements, problems, challenges, and opportunities of some specialties in particular; teachers of the courses and representatives of the schools and medical schools that endorse these courses participated in each of the groups. The schools of Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatrics, General Surgery, and Internal Medicine were reviewed, and at the end there was agreement in some places such as problems in the attitude of the students, the level of commitment of teachers, and the difficulties created by high participation and responsibility of residents in care activities.

Research was given ample space in the Forum; there was talk of the importance of research in the training of specialists, and educational research had ample space as well. There were lectures on the topic, the results of several original papers were presented in posters, and there was a section each day for oral exposure of some work, with a prize awarded at the end for the one deemed best.

Other workshops, symposia, and conferences handled such important issues such as the hidden curriculum, facilities and difficulties in accessing information, and the great benefits that the Institute has achieved for all of its members, in addition to several presentations on ethics and education.

It is noteworthy that for the first time, an Education Forum was held outside the premises of the Institute, which was a triumph, not only because of the capacity of the venue and the facilities for it, but also because a cordial atmosphere was established in informal spaces allowing the exchange of ideas and proposals, as well as the discussion of common problems among the various participants.

Finally, I will comment that the Prize for Excellence in Health Education was established for the first time for the XII Foro Nacional de Educación en Salud, and it was awarded to Alberto Lifshitz and Leonardo Viniegra, both with long and brilliant education careers developed largely in IMSS. It was a success to create this recognition for those who stand out in educational work, and due recognition to have given it to Drs. Viniegra and Lifshitz, indisputable figures of education in IMSS.

Enlaces refback

• No hay ningún enlace refback.