The family home visit: Educational strategy in health of children and their families

Abstract

The family home visit was introduced to the Child 1 course offered by the Social Pediatrics Department at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Colombia in 2001. This study investigated the meanings that participating families assign to their engagement with the professors and students involved in the visits. We conducted a qualitative study between 2017 and 2019 drawing on the theory of symbolic interactionism. Three categories emerged: 1) Family emotions at the time of the announcement of the visit; 2) Meanings assigned the visits; 3) Lessons that the families believe the students learn. The families reported that they were satisfied with the engagement with the health team in their own space, suggesting that the interactions help them to play a more active role in theirs children’s health care.