title: [The odysseys of Ulysses. A study of tales in a normal working day of the family doctor in Paraguay, Mexico, Peru, and Spain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the professional profile of the family doctor in different countries and the social welfare context where their work is carried out.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative Methodology of production of field diaries of a normal day.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary Heath Care of Toledo and Tenerife in Spain, and Paraguay, Mexico, and Peru.
  Non-random sampling, intentional, followed by snowball sample until data saturation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants wrote a diary of a typical day's work, their circumstances and socio-health context, and were studied by content analysis. Techniques to control the biases were used the check the participants and the triangulation between the obtained results and the existing bibliography, and data found on the Internet daily. We performed a mental map to transcribe the results graphically and in a comprehensive form.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 24 diaries of a normal day were obtained (9 doctors in Spain, 7 in Mexico, 4 in Paraguay, and 4 in Peru). We found some similarities, but many differences between countries. In contexts of humble but spirited, rural, with traditional roots and undemanding, there was a wider range of tasks of the family doctor, the coexistence of public and private work, and modern and traditional medicine, with greater presence of family and community care, more physician satisfaction and better patient-physician relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The professional profile of the family doctor is diverse and a context-dependent variable, and is not derived directly from external theory of family medicine.
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Unidad Docente de Medicina de Familia, Toledo, España.
authors.forename: Brenda Beatriz
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Báez-Montiel
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Unidad Docente de Medicina de Familia, Toledo, España.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Islas
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Unidad Docente de Medicina de Familia, Toledo, España.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolaños-Maldonado
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Unidad Docente de Medicina de Familia, Toledo, España.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samarín
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Centro de Salud Polígono Industrial, Toledo, España. Electronic address: jturabianf@meditex.es.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Turabián
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D010239:Paraguay; D010568:Peru; D010821:Physicians, Family; D013030:Spain; D014937:Work
keywords: Atención primaria de salud; Educación internacional; Family medicine; Formación; International educational exchange; Investigación cualitativa; Medicina de familia; Perfil profesional; Primary health care; Professional competence; Qualitative research; Teaching