Interprofessional work in Integrative and Complementary Practices in the context of Primary Health Care: potentials and challenges

Abstract

In the field of health in Brazil, teamwork in the context of Primary Health Care (PHC) is a strategy to advance  the perspective of comprehensive healthcare. It is also a way to increase the effectiveness of care in the other levels of attention in the Unified Health System (SUS).  The objective of this article is to analyze the potentials and the challenges of interprofessional  work with  Integrative and Complementary Practices (PIC) in the  context of PHC. A qualitative study was carried out  from September 2014 to June 2015. Semi-structured  telephone interviews were conducted with the  coordinators of the services Basic Health Units to map out the PIC offer. The results were submitted to  thematic content analysis and revealed opportunities  and obstacles for interprofessional work in the context of PHC. It was observed that, in many  experiences, teamwork is not based on collaboration. On the other  hand, PIC promote greater job satisfaction due to the  changes that it promotes in the organization of work,  through the greater interaction between practices and knowledges of professionals and between  professionals and users.