Recovering the identity of the internist by visualizing professional dexterities

Abstract

Objective: to carry out a review of local and international literature about internal medicine and the identity of the internist, with the aim of characterizing the identity of this professional within clinical medicine. Sources of data: a systematic search of relevant scientific literature in Spanish and English was done. Relevant articles were searched in databases such as Medline, SciELO, the library of the National University of Colombia, and websites of medical associations. Books on the subject were also reviewed. The following terms were used: internist, specialist in internal medicine, internal medicine, dexterities of the internist. Selection of studies: titles and abstracts were reviewed in order to select original publications relevant to the subject. Journal articles were analyzed by way of the Atlas. ti (5.0) qualitative analysis program in order to carry out interpretative reading, creating codes and families. Contributions from books were incorporated during the writing process. Conclusion: this article summarizes the development of internal medicine at the end of the 19th century in Europe, Latin America, and Colombia. The concept of internal medicine as science and art is construed, as well as the denominations given to the internist and his characteristics, in order to place them in the context of professional dexterities. The concept of educational and professional dexterity is therefore explained. The professional dexterities that have been standardized by associations and international authors are then outlined, as well as the environments suitable for their development. The paper ends with some reflections on the challenges posed by the 21st century, with an emphasis on professionalism