Articles

Does the Master's Degree in Natural Medicine in Comprehensive Patient Care develop research competencies?

0000-0001-6025-7981María Antonia Gell-de la Cruz¹  , 0000-0003-4630-4467Marianela Rafaela Calvis-González^{2  *}  

¹Center for Immunology and Biopreparations (Cibho). Holguín, Cuba.

²University of Medical Sciences of Holguín. Faculty of Medical Sciences Mariana Grajales Coello. Pedro del Toro Saad Polyclinic. Holguín, Cuba.

Dear Director:

We read the article " Evaluation of the research competence of the student of the Master's Degree in Natural Medicine in Integrated Patient Care (IAPC)" ¹⁾ and it motivated us given the importance represented by the ideas of its authors.

The university from its beginnings has been linked to the historical, social, political, economic and cultural development of nations, so one of its tasks is to prepare trained personnel to respond to the demands of society, providing solutions to the needs of the moment.²⁾ The University of Medical Sciences of Holguin fulfills these functions through graduate programs, such as the Master's Degree in Natural Medicine in IPA.

In the conceptualization of the Cuban economic and social model of socialist development, guidelines 14 and 32 are included in which the universities are included, and the need for the development of new products and services, incorporating the results of scientific research and technological innovation, is raised.^3,4

This Master's degree ensures that its students develop research competencies through the design and implementation of procedures for research work from the teaching activity.(⁵⁾

Related to the above, the application of Natural and Traditional Medicine (NTM) in the AIP, through the research line number 8: Teaching and training in human resources in NTM in the AIP with the creation of a procedure of Good Laboratory Practices of quality for natural products of the Center of Immunology and Biopreparations (Cibho), which is being developed at the moment as part of the activities of the Master's degree being studied.

The Center for Immunology and Biopreparations (Cibho), being a unique center in the country with semi-industrial production processes, has as part of its mission the research, innovation, production and commercialization of natural products, mostly registered as nutritional supplements for human use. Based on the experiences in this area, it has designed a development program of natural products for human and veterinary medicine, which includes homeopathic and allopathic formulations.

Its Social Purpose is the constant search for research lines that allow the introduction of new lines of production such as nutritional supplements of natural origin. This strategy is in accordance with the current policy of our country outlined in the guidelines of the VI Congress of the PCC, which allows the substitution of imports.

The procedure that is being developed at this time, with an innovative character, is done with the objective of training the professional staff of the laboratory of quality of natural products, to have a scientifically trained staff in the procedures of Good Practices, and to achieve a finished product with high quality, efficiency and effectiveness.

With the same, it is possible to confirm what the authors expressed in the conclusions of their research, in which they state that with the introduction and development of the research competence profile in the Master's program, the application of the scientific method in the student to create therapeutic diagnostic protocols and teaching alternatives is really improved,¹⁾ and a proof of this is its elaboration.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCE

1.  Alonso-Betancourt LA, Cruz-Batista M, Niño-Escofet SE, Aguilar-Hernández V, Escalona-Suárez M,Chibás-Pérez JJ. Evaluación de la competencia investigativa del estudiante de la Maestría en Medicina Natural en la Atención Integral al Paciente. Rev Ciencias Médicas[internet]. 2022 [citado 30/01/2023]; 27(2023). Disponible en: Disponible en: https://revcmpinar.sld.cu/index.php/publicaciones/article/view/5754 1.

2.  Calvis González MR, González Véliz T. Perfeccionamiento de la enseñanza médica universitaria en Cuba: baluarte significativo para las futuras generaciones. Rev. Santiago[internet]. 2023 [citado 30/01/2023]; 160(2023). Disponible en: Disponible en: https://santiago.uo.edu.cu/index.php/stgo/article/view/5556 2.

3.  Lineamientos de la Política Económica y Social del Partido y la Revolución para el período 2016-2021[internet]; 2017 [citado 30/01/2023]. Disponible en: Disponible en: https://www.granma.cu/file/pdf/gaceta/Lineamientos%202016-2021%20Versi%C3%B3n%20Final.pdf 3.

4.  Conceptualización del modelo económico y social cubano de desarrollo socialista. Lineamientos de la política económica y social del partido y la Revolución para el período 2021-2026. 8vo Congreso del PCC[internet]; junio 2021[citado 06/01/2023]. Disponible en: Disponible en: https://www.pcc.cu/sites/default/files/documentos/2021-06/Con17068v.pdf 4.

5.  Hernández-Navarro MI, Panunzio AP, García-Pérez A, Fernández-Hernández CP, Sánchez-García AJ. Las competencias investigativas en los profesionales de la salud. Rev. inf. cient. [internet]. 2022 Ago [citado 30/01/2023]; 101(4). Disponible en: Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1028-99332022000400015 5.

Received: January 30, 2023; Accepted: April 11, 2023

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest