Teamwork and collaborative practice in primary health care

Abstract

Collaborative practice and teamwork can contribute to improve universal access and the quality of healthcare. However, the operationalization of interprofessional work constitutes a current challenge. This challenge is increased by conceptual imprecisions in the study of interprofessional work, in which terms like collaboration and teamwork are often used as synonyms. This article aims to present current concepts of interprofessional work, problematizing them in the context of primary care. We conclude that teamwork and collaborative practice in primary care need to be addressed in a contingent manner, according to the characteristics of service users/catchment population as well as to the context and working conditions. We highlight that collaboration involves professionals willing to work together to provide better healthcare, and can occur both as “Team collaboration” and “Intersectoral and community collaboration”.