HEALTH INFORMATION, ETHNIC-RACIAL RELATIONS AND ACTIVE LEARNING IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Health information is an essential dimension of medical education, especially when connected to ethnic-racial relations, sickle cell anemia, and inequalities that affect health care. This study analyzes medical students’ perceptions of the contributions of the Coffee Circle methodology, as an active learning strategy, to the sharing and appropriation of health information. It is an empirical, qualitative-quantitative, descriptive, and interpretive study conducted with second-semester medical students, based on an electronic questionnaire applied after an activity structured around a problem situation involving racism and sickle cell anemia. Quantitative data were analyzed through simple descriptive statistics, and open-ended answers were examined through content analysis. The results indicate a favorable evaluation of the methodology, especially regarding interaction, listening, information circulation, collective knowledge construction, and broader understanding of social markers of difference. The study concludes that the Coffee Circle promotes critical, collaborative, and socially situated learning, contributing to a more ethical, humanized, and sensitive medical education committed to addressing racial inequities in health.