Par(á) life – IFMSA-Brazil

Name of the activity: Par(á) life

Country/NMO: IFMSA-Brazil

Program: Health Systems

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Education

Focus area: Primary healthcare from the perspective of the health system, Rural/community health, Universal health coverage, Human resources for health

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

General description:

In view of the precarious health service found in the city of Caiçaua-PA, consultations will be carried out in the areas of clinical medicine, such as pediatrics, gynecology, and dermatology. The population will also be offered educational lectures on subjects that directly influence their quality of life, such as guidance on personal and food hygiene, common parasites in the region, prenatal care, breastfeeding, importance of vaccination, among others.

Problem statement:

Caiçaua is a village located in the state of Pará, where only 10.6% of households have basic sanitation. In addition, there are only 9 health establishments in the Unified Health System according to the last count in 2009. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the population has been without medical care for 2 years, influencing the mortality rate average of 11.59 deaths per thousand live births.

Target groups:

• Medical students
• Doctors
• Children
• Youth
• Women
• Citizens of Caiçaua

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Medical students
• Doctors
• Children
• Youth
• Women
• Citizens of Caiçaua

Objectives:

1- To contribute so that the community understands the health-disease processes and forms of disease prevention;

2- To Promote medical care, dispensing medication for the treatment of prevalent diseases in the population of Caiçaua-PA;

3- To provide personal and professional development for participating students and physicians.

Indicators:

1- 70% of the participants in the conversation circles and outpatient clinics stated that they understood the illness process of the most prevalent diseases in the community.

2- To provide quality care, verify their health complaints and treat at least 300 patients.

3- 70% of physicians and academics stated that action had a positive impact on their medical performance.

Methodology:

The Par(á) Life Project was developed by the local committee of IFMSA Brazil UNISA, together with 17 academics, 4 physicians and a pharmacist. Volunteer students were responsible for screening, which consisted of measuring blood pressure, calculating the body mass index, measuring waist circumference, complete anamnesis and physical examination, with cases being discussed with the teachers to carry out the appropriate conduct according to the specificity of each person (family medicine, pediatrics, dermatology or gynecology). After that, patients received medical advice relevant to their case and also received medication to deal with their complaint and prevent recurrences. Concomitantly, conversation circles were also offered on safe sex among adolescents, on healthy eating and its relationship with parasites, hypertension and diabetes, in addition to oral health workshops with children from Caiçaua.

Plans for evaluation:

The impact assessment was applied to the population assisted in outpatient clinics and in conversation circles, and to academics and physicians. For the population assisted, an oral questionnaire was carried out with the questions: 1- “How do you evaluate the service offered?” 2- “How do you evaluate the quality of volunteer professionals and students?” 3- “How do you evaluate practical education activities?” 4 – “If you were seen last year, how much has your health changed?”. The answers to these questions were obtained through a visual analogue satisfaction scale, since the majority of the population had a low level of education. The students and volunteer doctors answered an online form to indicate, from 0 to 10, the impact of this activity on their medical practice/performance and they should also respond discursively about how this impact was on their professional and personal life and what was the most remarkable moment of the activity.

External collaborations:

This project was a voluntary one organized by medical students from IFMSA Brazil – UNISA, from Centro Acadêmico Rubens Monteiro Arruda (CARMA), through authorization from the Coordinator of the Medicine Course at Universidade de Santo Amaro (UNISA), and with the group “Conexão Pará” (missionary group), which provided local infrastructure, outreach and logistical planning.