Essential competencies in family practice for undergraduate medical education
a scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5712/rbmfc20(47)4849Keywords:
Education medical undergraduate, Competency-based education, Family practiceAbstract
Introduction: High-quality medical education is essential to ensure safe, equitable, and socially responsible healthcare. Competency-Based Medical Education guides curricula according to population needs and healthcare systems demands. Family Practice (FP) stands out as a strategic specialty for acting directly within Primary Health Care, providing an integrated and contextualized learning environment. Objective: To map and analyze the competencies related to FP required for undergraduate medical education as described in the scientific literature. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches were conducted in eight databases and gray literature, including studies published between 1994 and 2025. Competencies were extracted, categorized based on conceptual similarity, grouped into domains and analyzed according to their frequency of recurrence in the included studies. Results: Twenty-one articles from different continents were included, with the majority published within the last decade. Limited interdisciplinary collaboration was observed, with few experiences of collaboration between different areas or professions. The most frequently cited competency domains were clinical communication, person-centered care, management of chronic and acute diseases, cultural competence, community orientation, interprofessional work, health promotion, and care coordination. Competency domains such as family approach, continuity of care, evidence-based practice, and ethics appeared at an intermediate frequency. Procedural skills, palliative care, occupational health, professional well-being, digital health, and advocacy were rarely cited. Conclusions: This study identifies a core set of family medicine competencies for undergraduate medical education based on the existing literature, while also highlighting gaps in emerging areas, interdisciplinary competencies, and competencies historically valued in the specialty. These findings can inform the updating of curricular guidelines and foster debate about formative needs in undergraduate medical training.
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