Knowledge of obesity in medical residency programs. Realities, reflections and proposals

Abstract

espanolLa obesidad es una enfermedad cronica cuya prevalencia ha aumentado. Los estudios indican que los medicos especialistas carecen de conocimientos/habilidades para el tratamiento de pacientes con obesidad. Nuestro objetivo fue identificar la inclusion de temas de obesidad en los programas de residencia en especialidades/subespecialidades medicas respaldadas por la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) y analizar su conformidad con el contexto epidemiologico en Mexico y el mundo. Identificamos 70 programas de especialidad/subespecialidad y analizamos los planes de estudio de 57, luego de excluir aquellos que no involucran contacto con pacientes. Los clasificamos en 3 grupos: 1) aquellos que describieron conocimientos/habilidades especificos sobre obesidad; 2) aquellos que mencionaron la palabra obesidad sin describir conocimientos/habilidades especificos, y 3) aquellos que no incluyeron ninguna mencion de obesidad. Solo 6 programas (10,5%) describieron los conocimientos/habilidades a desarrollar para el tratamiento de la obesidad, 7 (12,3%) mencionaron el termino obesidad y 44 (77,2%) no consideraron la obesidad dentro de sus programas. Los resultados indican que los residentes carecen de una formacion adecuada para el manejo de la obesidad. Proponemos integrar el conocimiento de obesidad en un contexto multidisciplinario en los programas de especialidad/subespecialidad para proporcionar a los especialistas herramientas y habilidades para el tratamiento adecuado de la obesidad. EnglishObesity is a chronic disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Despite its importance for public health, studies indicate that medical specialists lack knowledge and skills for the management of patients with obesity. The aim of this study was to identify the inclusion of obesity topics in specialty/subspecialty residency medical programs endorsed by Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), and to assess its conformity within the current epidemiological context in Mexico and worldwide. A total of 70 specialty/subspecialty programs were identified, and the curricula of 57 were analyzed, after excluding those that did not involve contact with patients. These were classified into three groups: (1) those that described specific topics/skills on obesity; (2) those that mentioned the word “obesity” without describing specific knowledge/skills, and (3) those that did not include any mention of obesity. Only six (10.5%) programs described knowledge/skills to be developed for obesity treatment, 7 (12.3%) mentioned the term “obesity”, and 44 (77.2%) did not consider obesity within their curricula. The results indicate that medical residents lack adequate training for obesity management. A proposal is made for need to integrate the current knowledge of obesity into a multidisciplinary context in the specialty/subspecialty programs in order to provide specialists with tools and skills for the appropriate treatment of obesity.