The Extended Family Health Care Center (NASF) as a strategic setting for interprofessional health teaching

Abstract

Introduction: Interprofessional training experiences in the context of the Extended Family Health and Basic Care Center (NASF-AB) may be an important strategy to counteract health work – and consequently health care – fragmentation, favoring a more effective health practice based on the community’s health needs. Objective: To discuss an interdisciplinary and interprofessional health training experience of a speech-language-hearing student, which took place as a required internship at an NASF-AB in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Description: The students’ activities were organized into 5 focuses of effort, namely: 1. Case discussions with professionals aiming to update the Unique Therapeutic Project; 2. Educational groups focused on prevention; 3. Individual attention; 4. School Health Program; and 5. Pedagogical intervention with professionals. Final considerations: The interprofessional training experience at the NASF-AB helped develop collaborative competencies for interprofessional teamwork, such as interprofessional communication, role clarification, teamwork, and responsibility, which are essential to provide comprehensive health care. It also helped reflect on the limitations of the hegemonic, essentially clinical, fragmented speech-language-hearing training in Brazil, as well as this professional’s insufficient inclusion in primary health care. During the experience, other considerations arose and helped understand important concepts combining the theory and practice experience in the field.