TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Forte, Viviana
AU  -  Sessa, Giorgio
AU  -  Lavecchia, Vincenzo
AU  -  Marini, Gianluca
AU  -  Pignatti, Fabio
AU  -  Euli, Enrico
AU  -  Kurotschka, Peter K.
AU  -  Parisi, Giuseppe
AU  -  Carta, Mauro Giovanni
T1  -  The struggle for a unified specialty in general practice, primary health care and community medicine in Italy
PY  -  2026
Y1  -  2026-07-01
JO  -  Recenti Progressi in Medicina
JA  -  Recenti Prog Med
VL  -  117
IS  -  7-8
SP  -  343
EP  -  349
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2038-1840
Y2  -  2026/07/15
N2  -  Summary. Background. Despite increasing recognition of their central role, General Practice (GP) and Primary Health Care and Community Medicine (PCCM) remain structurally and academically fragmented in Italy, limiting the development of a coherent scientific and professional identity. Aim. To explore clinicians’ and trainees’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators to developing a unified postgraduate specialty curriculum in GP, PCCM, and to identify conditions for change. Methods. We conducted a participatory action research study, integrating a structured workshop with constructivist grounded theory analysis. Forty-four primary care professionals generated 176 qualitative data units, which were iteratively coded and organised into themes. Results. Five interrelated themes emerged: (1) lack of interprofessional literacy; (2) power dynamics and professional tribalism; (3) recognition of a shared cultural matrix; (4) need for academic and professional identity; and (5) importance of building collaborative projects. Barriers extended beyond knowledge gaps to institutional fragmentation and status asymmetries. Participants identified a shared person-centred care model as a basis for integration, while the absence of a recognised scientific disciplinary sector was seen as a major barrier to legitimacy, research capacity and workforce attractiveness. Conclusions. Developing a unified specialty in GP, PCCM is not merely a medical education reform but a strategic institutional priority for the National Health Service. Establishing a dedicated scientific disciplinary sector and a pre-postgraduate curriculum is essential to address workforce shortages, enhance professional attractiveness and reorient medical education and doctors identity towards community-based care. To be truly transformative, this innovation requires institutional and policy changes grounded in the recognition that medical education policy is also healthcare policy.
ER  -