"Eu não tinha a menor ideia do que eu podia aprender aqui..." Educação das profissões da saúde e competência cultural

Abstract

Introduction: The need to address issues of cultural and ethnic diversity in health education has been suggested as a means to improve quality and reduce disparities in health care. Methodology: The optional curricular component "Cultural Competence in Health Care for Quilombola Women" was implemented during the first semester of 2016, in the quilombo community Capoeiras dos Negros in Macaíba-RN. This curriculum inserted the processes of collective construction of the care strategy, with the objective of obtaining the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to care for the maternal health of quilombola women. The methodological course involved exploratory research, a case study with a qualitative approach and data collected through the focal group technique with 24 students who studied the course between 2016.1 and 2017.2. Results: At the end of the intervention, a self-perception study on the development of cultural competences revealed that knowing the health situation of the quilombola population, interacting with the community, and experiencing inter-professional work demonstrated to be effective strategies to potentiate the development of cultural competences in healthcare training. Conclusion: In order to train health professionals who are skilled at interacting effectively with ethnically diverse populations, it is critical that students are aware of the processes that influence health as well as experience health care for population minorities.