Interprofessional education at a Brazilian public university: A document analysis

• Published in: Heliyon Vol. 9; no. 2; p. e13421
• Main Authors: Romeu de Mazzi, Nathália, Moreira Barbosa, Stela Beatriz, Vasconcelos, Raíssa Ottes, Mendes da Silva Souza, Camila, Blanco, Vanessa Moreno, Camargo Gonçalves Germani, Ana Claudia, Leonello, Valéria Marli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Curriculum; data collection; Health occupations; health services; Interprofessional education; Interprofessional relations; Intersectoral collaboration; public health; qualitative analysis; Qualitative research; Students; teams; Qualitative research; Health occupations; Students; Intersectoral collaboration; Curriculum; Interprofessional education; Interprofessional relations
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13421

Interprofessional Education is considered a necessary approach to develop skills for collaborative work in the training of professionals in order to improve the quality of health care. The curricula are the guiding documents for training and should explain how Interprofessional Education is adopted in undergraduate health courses. To analyze curricula of undergraduate health courses, from the perspective of Interprofessional Education, in a Brazilian public university. Qualitative study of document analysis. Undergraduate health courses at a Brazilian public university. 13 undergraduate health courses were analyzed. Data collection was conducted based on an adapted quality assessment script for Interprofessional Education. From the thematic content analysis, three analytical categories emerged. In the category “Curriculum organization and interprofessionality”, the courses do not make free periods available in the curriculum, and each of the courses provide space for elective subjects at different times. In the category “Training guided by social reality and health needs” the courses propose training based on the health needs of patients from the Brazilian public health system. In the category “Learning for interprofessional action”, the term “multiprofessional” characterizes learning for teamwork, with a discrete number of interprofessional disciplines. The theoretical bases of IPE and organizational goals are necessary to establish training objectives, specific shared times, and mutual interests that are directed to interprofessionality. Interprofessional Education can be expanded from activities that already exist in the curricula of undergraduate courses. •Extension activities are important for the expansion of interprofessional education.•Patients need to be included in the interprofessional education planning.•Interprofessionalism should be a goal in health curricula courses.•Interprofessional education needs an alignment between health courses curricula.