Addressing the Family in Family Medicine Postgraduate Training in Cuba: Historical Evolution and Contemporary Perspectives

Introduction: The concept of caring for the family, not just the isolated individual, is a cornerstone of Family Medicine. However, its application has evolved from a familistic biomedical model towards a more biopsychosocial and systemic one.Objective: To describe the historical evolution of the system of objectives and contents for addressing the family in the specialty's training programs, from its beginnings as Comprehensive General Medicine to its consolidation as Family Medicine in the 2023 program.Methods: A descriptive, educational research study was conducted. Theoretical and empirical methods were used for the bibliographic and documentary review related to objectives and contents concerning the family and family medicine in postgraduate training. Analysis, synthesis, and comparison of criteria were performed based on the reviewed materials.Results: The Comprehensive General Medicine specialty has undergone several curricula up to 2023. Contents related to the family and family medicine are positioned from the third program onwards, aiming to deepen and consolidate the skills necessary for both educational and therapeutic family intervention. The initial program lacked comprehensiveness, while the most recent redesign (2023) presents a curricular restructuring that organizes the content into 29 modules and 5 courses, conceptualized as a multidisciplinary didactic structure.Conclusions: The redesign of the Family Medicine Specialty Program (2023) strengthens the competencies, knowledge, and skills necessary for providing comprehensive, timely, and systematic care to the family, based on the biopsychosocial approach within the healthcare process.