Assessment of improvement for diagnosis of gait disorders in older people

Introduction: Professional development is a multidimensional growth process and involves effort, discipline, will, dedication, as well as responsibility to achieve the desired impact. From an aging population in the community, the presence of well-trained and qualified human resources is necessary Objective: to evaluate the professional development process of Family Medicine specialists for the diagnosis of gait disorders in older people. Method: an intervention study was carried out on Family Medicine specialists at the 30 de noviembre polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba, in the period from January to December 2021. The professional development of 22 specialists was evaluated for the diagnosis of gait disorders in older people, through the application of a professional performance observation guide, using the Likert scale, validated by specialists' criteria, which allowed evaluating the state of improvement of these professionals when diagnosing this syndrome. Results: Insufficient knowledge about organismal aging, limitations in diagnostic assessment skills, and non-participation in events, scientific research, or publications were found, as well as a lack of training on gait disorders in older people. Conclusions: Insufficient research, knowledge about aging, and skills to apply the clinical-epidemiological method in the diagnosis of gait disorders in older people, and the importance of training to improve the performance of these professionals.