MEDICAL TASK FORCE: BRINGING THE SPECIALIST TO PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: the Primary Health Care is capable of solving up to 80% of its demand. However, some clinical conditions need to be followed in others levels of health care. In Endocrinology, certain diseases should be managed initially by a specialist, for example, hyperthyroidism and unwieldy diabetes mellitus. The reference and counter-reference between the Primary and Secondary Health Care present difficulties, for example, the need to shift users to others cities and the waiting row. The following study has the goal to report the activity made by the League of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrology from the University of Fortaleza in a mountain town in the state of Ceará, Brazil. METHOD: the attendance was made in a primary health care unit of the city - 140km away from the capital - by endocrinologists, medical students and other health professionals. The action had the audience patients who were already in the waiting row. The team was divided at pre medical appointment, checking vital signs, waiting room, health education for endocrinological disorders, medical appointment and post medical appointment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: seventy nine clinical appointments were made; the patients that required specialized follow-up signed up in an ambulatory-school service for monitoring. Therefore, it concludes that the accomplishment of joint efforts as volunteer social action is an important tool in which concerns for personal and professional growth of students and, specially, in training of humanistic, critical and reflexive physicians. These latter qualities are essential for building an efficient health care and matches with the graduate’s profile in accordance with the National Curriculum Guidelines.