Over recent decades, many changes have been made to the undergraduate medical curriculum in order to expand the scope of medical training in line with the demands of the Brazilian health system. Teaching certain components of medical knowledge still represents a challenge and some specialties, like dermatology, still lack vertical and horizontal integration throughout the course. Deficient undergraduate learning of dermatology reflects in clinical practice where a delayed diagnosis of skin diseases may have a radical effect on patients' clinical outcome. These obstacles seem even more evident in primary care, due to high prevalence of dermatologic complaints. In this area, the demand for specialized care remains intense and could be reduced through an adequate training approach, encompassing the steps of prevention and health promotion. This article proposes a discussion for expanding communication between health centers, higher education institutions and specialists, offering suggestions that refer to an integrated view of general medical training, in order to provide better care and resolution of skin disorders for patients at the doorstep of the health system.
Dermatology; Family Health; Education, Medical; Primary Health Care