Cardiology Training in Brazil and Developed Countries: Some Ideas for Improvement.
Lucas Colombo Godoy, Michael E Farkouh, Isabela C K Abud Manta, Talia F Dalçóquio, Remo Holanda de Mendonça Furtado, Eric H C Yu, Carlos Gun, José Carlos Nicolau
Author Information
Lucas Colombo Godoy: Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP - Brazil. ORCID
Michael E Farkouh: Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Heart and Stroke Richard Lewar Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON - Canada.
Isabela C K Abud Manta: Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP - Brazil. ORCID
Talia F Dalçóquio: Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP - Brazil.
Remo Holanda de Mendonça Furtado: Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP - Brazil. ORCID
Eric H C Yu: Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Heart and Stroke Richard Lewar Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON - Canada.
Carlos Gun: Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo, SP - Brazil.
José Carlos Nicolau: Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP - Brazil. ORCID
Huge variations exist in cardiology training programs across the world. In developing (middle-income) countries, such as Brazil, to find the right balance between training improvements and social and economic conditions of the country may be a difficult task. Adding more training years or different mandatory rotations, for instance, may be costly and not have an immediate direct impact on enhancing patient care or public health. In this text, we compare the Brazilian cardiology training system with other proposals implemented in developed countries from North America and Europe, aiming to point out issues worth of future discussion. Factors such as training rotations and competencies, and program duration and distribution across the countries are presented. The number of first year cardiology trainees per inhabitants is similar between Brazil and the United States (0.24 medical residents/100,000 inhabitants in Brazil and 0.26 medical residents/100,000 inhabitants in the USA). These numbers should be analyzed considering the inequality in training program distribution across Brazil, since most centers are located in the Southeast and South regions. Having more residency programs in distant areas could improve cardiovascular care in these areas. Duration of cardiology Residency Training is shorter in Brazil (two years) in comparison with developed countries (> 3 years). Brazilian residency programs give less emphasis to scientific research and diagnostic methods. Unifying minimum training requirements across the globe would facilitate the development of international learning opportunities and even professional exchange around the world.
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