Professional performance of the specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine for the prescription of physical exercise

Abstract

The training deficiencies present since the Medical career limit the prescription of physical exercise by the specialist in Integral General Medicine. In this regard, the prioritization of the pharmacological approach hinders the promotion of physical activity as a prophylactic and therapeutic tool. For this reason, this research was conducted with the objective of evaluating the professional performance of the specialist in Integral General Medicine for the prescription of physical exercise. To achieve this, a descriptive study was carried out at the East Area Polyclinic in the province of Camagüey, Cuba, from September to December 2025. From a universe of 25 specialists in Integral General Medicine, a purposive sample of 12 was selected, who met the inclusion criteria. A previously validated evaluative instrument was applied, which contained the cognitive, procedural, and attitudinal dimensions, with their respective indicators. The evaluation of the instrument allowed for a complete view of the performance of the specialist in Integral General Medicine for the prescription of physical exercise. Given that two of the three dimensions were assessed as poor and one as good, the instrument received an overall assessment of poor. In particular, the most notable weaknesses were found in the cognitive and procedural dimensions, while the attitudinal dimension showed positive results. Despite the limitations in knowledge and practical skills, there is a willingness to transform the environment. In this regard, the implementation of improvement strategies is essential to achieve effective prescription of physical exercise by the family doctor.