Cuban Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions of Balint Groups: A Pilot Study

Background: Balint groups are crucial in Psychosomatic Medicine, focusing on healthcare relationships and providing psychotherapeutic training.Objective: To explore healthcare professionals' perceptions of Balint groups in Santiago de Cuba's Basic Psychosomatic Course, identifying perceived benefits and training needs.Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 34 healthcare professionals who completed Balint training (2018-2020), categorized by specialty (Natural/Traditional Medicine, Psychiatry, Others).The Spanish-translated Rckmeldung Balintgruppe questionnaire assessed learning effects, group dynamics, and practical applicability using ten Likert items and one open-ended question.Results: Participants provided positive evaluations (1-2 on 6-point scale, 1=best). Group atmosphere, leadership competence, and continuation interest received highest ratings.Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in perceived work impact among groups (p = .046),though post-hoc comparisons showed not pairwise differences.Competent leadership correlated with satisfaction (r = -.400,p = .019).Qualitative analysis revealed needs for additional resources (44%) and training (38%).Conclusions: Balint groups demonstrated high acceptability among Cuban healthcare professionals.Findings suggest they're promising tools for professional development in Cuba's healthcare context, requiring culturally adapted resources and ongoing supervision for implementation.