Specialization in Family and Community Medicine

Family medicine is the specialization that provides continuous and comprehensive health care to individuals and families.

It combines biological, clinical and behavioral sciences. The field of family medicine encompass all ages, both genders, each one of the organ systems and all diseases.

The conceptual elements of community health are the practice of primary care, seeking the health of the entire community and the community’s participation in all stages of the process. Its methodological requirements consist in working by programs and the local use of epidemiology to identify the health needs and the evaluation of interventions.

According to Law 1438 of 2011, Primary Health Care is the intersectoral coordination strategy that allows comprehensive and integrated care from public health, health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and patient rehabilitation in all levels of complexity as to guarantee a higher level of well-being in the users, without prejudice to the legal powers of each actor of the General Health Social Security.

The specialist in Family and Community Medicine performs a type of professional medical practice defined by a set of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Although family doctors can carry out their work in different labor fields due to their training, their natural field of action is primary health care.