49. Enhancing Competencies to Improve Quality Of Health Care for Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean

Purpose: School of Medicine at the Universidad Catolica de Chile, has been delivering a Diploma on Development and Comprehensive Health Care for Adolescents since 2003, directed to enhance competencies of health care professionals currently taking care of adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It uses “on line”methods to allowprofessionals to continue working at their regular work. It includes the preparation of a project: applied investigation, intervention experience, or bibliographic research. The project is intended to detect a situation to be studied first and then to be taken care of through a proper program or intervention. The professionals should propose the outline of a project design after having made the questions needing a response. The projects have been reviewed and evaluated mostly by one teacher all along the years. To review the themes inwhich the professionals have focused their projects, what reflects the need of knowledge and the need of a program or intervention in LAC. Methods: Projectswere review and assigned to a specific field, selecting the principal area, although some focused on more than one subject. An intentional sample of 50% of the projects was planned. Results: A total of 458 professionals from LAC have approved the Diploma. 400 projects have been reviewed and 210 projects were included in the sample. The principal focus of the projects (16.7%) was “comprehensive, friendly health programs for adolescents” some oriented to the design and implementation of such services, others oriented to evaluate if the services complied. Second place were “adolescent pregnancy and motherhood” and “prevention, education, anticipatory guidance of a healthy life”, both with 10.5%. Third subject was sexual and reproductive health (9%), followed by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use and abuse (8.1%). Violence, all kinds, and HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases followed, both with 7.6%. Obesity reached 7.1%. Conclusions:These subjects showed themainproblemsneeding to be solved in adolescents fromLAC as perceived by health professionals taking care of them. They are mainly biological problems that are easy to manage by health professionals. Psychosocial issues are more difficult to face and reached lower percentages as bullying and suicide (1.9% each), physical and sexual abuse, school dropout, adolescent work, indigenous adolescents, masculinity (less than 1.5%). Subjects currently studied by health professionals taking care of adolescents in LAC concentrate mainly in biological problems. Professionals should be aware of psychosocial problems as well and expand their competences and roles to face them, especially with promotion and prevention interventions. ources of Support: None.