FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE IS THE SPECIALTY OF THE FUTURE? DOCUMENTARY AS A PEDAGOGICAL TEACHING PROPOSAL FOR THE MEDICAL COURSE

Abstract

Primary Health Care (PHC) and, consequently, Family and Community Medicine (FCM), are essential pillars of Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS), demanding professionals trained for a person-centered and socially contextualized approach. This investigation stems from a Professional Master's Dissertation at the Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO) and aimed to analyze Medical students' perception of FCM and to evaluate the impact of an audiovisual Educational Product (EP) – the documentary "Family and Community Medicine: is it the specialty of the future?" – as a pedagogical mediation tool. The methodology, using a qualitative exploratory approach, employed a pre- and post-test model, applying semi-structured questionnaires to 75 Medical course. Initially, the pre-documentary diagnosis revealed that the specialty's low prestige was intrinsically linked to extrinsic factors, such as "Remuneration and working conditions" (48%) and "Social recognition" (42.7%). After the intervention, the qualitative analysis demonstrated a significant re-signification, with FCM being perceived mainly as the "specialty of the future". The justifications clustered into three axes of valuation: the focus on bonding and comprehensive care, the strategic vision for the SUS (as the system's coordinator), and the commitment to collective health (promotion and prevention). It is concluded that the EP proved to be an effective tool in transforming student perception, overcoming prestige barriers and aligning future physicians with the humanized and strategic principles of PHC in Brazil.