Challenges of medical residency in geriatrics in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Autor(a) principal: Marco Túlio Gualberto Cintra
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Daniel Lima Azevedo, Flávia Campora, Clarice Câmara Correia, Renato Bandeira de Mello
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/57587
• topic: Alzheimer’s disease; COVID-19; Internship and Residency; Geriatrics; Doença de Alzheimer; COVID-19; Internato e Residência; Geriatria

On July 8, 2020, the Sociedade Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia (Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology – SBGG) held a virtual discussion with the title (in Portuguese): Residências médicas em geriatria na pandemia – os desafios da residência em tempos de COVID-19 [“Medical Residency in Geriatrics during the pandemic – challenges of residency in COVID-19 times”]. Five supervisors and preceptors who work in Brazilian geriatric services were gathered to discuss the theme, with a live broadcast by an online platform that reached a large audience. Next, the authors describe the issues raised during the session, and the solutions proposed to reduce the aggravating circumstances in the education of residents in geriatrics during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In December 2019, the first SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, known as COVID-19, were reported in Wuhan, China, and spread throughout the world.1 On July 29, 2020, the number of notifications accounted for more than 16.7 million cases and around 660 thousand deaths worldwide.2 These indicators prove the occurrence of a pandemic, with repercussions beyond the healthcare area. The pandemic promoted the mobilization of resident physicians throughout Brazil and exerted a sub stantialimpact on medical education. On March 19, 2020, the Comissão Nacional de Residência Médica [National Commission of Medical Residency – CNRM) implemented recommendations regarding the development of activities of medical residency programs concerning the COVID-19 coping strategies. It is worth mentioning the relocation of residents to services dedicated to the care of people at risk or affected by the new coronavirus, which include special sectors of emergency and hospitalization.3 The following day, the state of public calamity was promulgated in Brazil due to the rapid spread of the infection in the national territory.4Geriatrics is the medical specialty that comprises the clinical aspects of aging and the complex healthcare practices required to meet the the older adults’ demands anywhere. Geriatrics refers to health and illness processes in old age and involves physical, cognitive, functional, and social aspects, acute, chronic, rehabilitation, preventive, and palliative care for older adults. It pro poses a holistic approach, with interdisciplinary performance in a multidisciplinary team, aiming at optimizing the functional capacity and improving the quality of life of older people based on respect for each one’s life and individuality.