INTERPROFESSIONAL WORK BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND PRECEPTORS OF A MULTIPROFESSIONAL RESIDENCE IN MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH AT A PUBLIC HOSPITAL
Interprofessional Education; Interprofessionality; Preceptorship; Multiprofessional Residency in Health.
INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization has played a significant role in promoting interprofessional education. Multiprofessional teamwork and interprofessional education in the Unified Health System benefit users, but the implementation of interprofessional work faces cultural, institutional and political challenges, such as lack of integration and coordination. The Multiprofessional Residency in Health is important to integrate education and health work in postgraduate studies, focusing on team building. Interprofessionality is crucial to promote collaboration between residents and preceptors in the RMS. OBJECTIVE: To outline the interprofessional work of residents and preceptors working in the Maternal and Child RMS of a public hospital. METHODOLOGY: This is a qualitative and descriptive study conducted at a public hospital in Rio Grande do Norte, with the participation of preceptors and residents of the RMS. Data collection involved a questionnaire with sociodemographic and professional training variables and a semi-structured interview to explore interprofessional work in the hospital. Sociodemographic data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and lexicographic analysis with the support of the IRAMUTEQ software and the stages of thematic content analysis proposed by Bardin. The research was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee of UFRN. RESULTS: The study included 16 health professionals: social workers, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists and nutritionists. Textual analysis in IRaMuTeQ identified 7,597 words distributed in 1,447 different forms. A total of 179 text segments were analyzed, with satisfactory results. The dendrogram revealed two main categories: (1) "Interprofessional Work", including the dimensions of teamwork (Classes 1, 3 and 4); and (2) "Communication, Integration and Management" (Classes 2 and 5). The thematic categories were developed based on Bardin's content analysis. The analysis of these thematic categories highlighted the importance of management, communication and integration to overcome the challenges of interprofessional work. Hierarchical barriers were identified that hinder collaboration between professionals from different areas, such as physicians and other professionals, affecting the quality of care. The study highlights the need to transition from a multiprofessional, fragmented and hierarchical model to an interprofessional model that values integration and knowledge sharing. DISCUSSIONS: Strategies such as organizational support, use of knowledge management technologies and policies to encourage collaboration are essential to promote an interprofessional work environment. The implementation of these practices will contribute to more humanized, integrated and patient-centered care. CONCLUSION: Interprofessionality in the RMS in Maternal and Child Health highlights resistance linked to professional hierarchy and the predominance of the biomedical model. Although there are collaborative efforts, structural and cultural challenges still limit the consolidation of interprofessionality. Uniprofessional training is highlighted as an important barrier. The study proposes strategies such as valuing expertise, interprofessional education from undergraduate level, strengthening preceptorship and institutional policies to encourage collaboration. It is highlighted that collaborative practices and effective communication promote better results in care and training, contributing to the qualification of services in the SUS.