Integrated Practical Training in Obstetrics and Neonatology in a Maternity Hospital: A Case Report from Federal University in Pernambuco

Abstract:

Mother-child health care during the prenatal period demands that health care professionals have an integral understanding of the mother-child dyad. The bodies of knowledge studied by Obstetrics and Neonatology are intimately related and should receive an integrated approach, especially during basic medical training, when future physicians build the basis for their clinical reasoning. Sixth-semester students in the school of Medicine at UFPE perform integrated practical activities in Obstetrics and Neonatology at teaching maternity hospitals, accompanied by monitors. The theoretical concept and practical implementation of the integrated teaching process enconuntered several difficulties in its early stages. Difficulty in understanding the importance of integrated practice and lack of motivation on the part of some professors were reported as minor problems. The greatest problems have been with the infrastructure and patient demand served at the maternity hospitals. A democratic and participatory work process involving collective development of teaching proposal by students, monitors, and the rotation coordinators has proven be an efficient strategy for overcoming difficulties.

Keywords: Neonatology; Obstetrics; Evaluation; Medical education