THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PRIMARY CARE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN MEDICAL SCHOOLS FROM BRAZIL AND UNITED KINGDOM

Introduction and objective The United Kingdom is regarded as a worldwide reference in terms of delivering a high-quality and accessible primary care. Brazil has also been improving primary care throughout the last years, through the creation of key policies that regulate healthcare delivery and education. Both countries are also experiencing important transformations in medical education because of the shift from hospital-based to community-based practices. The aim of this study is to evaluate teachers’ perspectives about differences and similarities in theoretical approaches to undergraduate teaching and learning in primary care between medical schools from Brazil and United Kingdom. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one teacher from a Brazilian medical school and one teacher from a British medical school. The topics covered during the interview were: knowledge about educational theories, factors affecting learning, medical curriculum and teacher-student interaction. The results were analysed according to the interview topics in order to define the main differences and similarities in theoretical approaches between the medical schools. Results and conclusions The main differences found were how teachers interpreted the role of educational theories in practice, and the preferred methods for assessment. In spite of these differences, many similarities were identified, regarding which factors affect learning, need for curriculum integration, importance of hidden curriculum, role of teacher as facilitator, relevance of learners’ needs assessment and role of environment for learning. These results contribute to confirm that global trends towards highlighting primary care as an increasingly relevant educational setting for undergraduate medical education are similar, despite different curricula and healthcare systems.