Interprofessional care in Primary Health Care

analysis of the work of reference teams

Abstract

Objective: to identify interprofessionality in health care provided by professionals from a health centers in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, after the context of the worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Method: qualitative descriptive- exploratory research. Participant observation and field diary recording were the research techniques used. In total, four observations were made, two in each of the chosen reference teams. Results: interprofessionality is associated with a way of acting in health work, being something that is established in a procedural way based on the relationships between workers and the user population. The two reference teams are concerned with providing care centered on the needs of the user, which is one of the characteristics of teamwork from an interprofessional perspective. However, there are obstacles to implementing interprofessionality in health care, related to the organization of the reference team meeting, each worker's understanding of their contribution in this space and the current scenario of primary health care. Conclusions: Interprofessionality was present in the reference team meetings observed. On the other hand, changes in the work process resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic context were identified as limitations to the implementation of interprofessionality in health care.   Keywords: Team work; Interprofessionality; Health care; Primary health care.