Interprofessional education and collaborative practice in Primary Health Care*

Abstract

Objective To understand the perceptions of professors, health care providers and students about the articulation of interprofessional education with health practices in Primary Health Care. Method To understand and interpret qualitative data collection, carried out between 2012 and 2013, through semi-structured interviews with 18 professors and four sessions of homogeneous focus groups with students, professors and health care providers of Primary Health Care. Results A triangulation of the results led to the construction of two categories: user-centered collaborative practice and barriers to interprofessional education. The first perspective indicates the need to change the model of care and training of health professionals, while the second reveals difficulties perceived by stakeholders regarding the implementation of interprofessional education. Conclusion The interprofessional education is incipient in the Brazil and the results of this analysis point out to possibilities of change toward collaborative practice, but require higher investments primarily in developing teaching-health services relationship.