The PAHO/WHO Regional Network of Interprofessional Health Education

Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the countries of the Region of the Americas reaffirmed their commitment to the Strategy of Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage (Universal Health)(1). Improvements in primary care resolution capacity, and the distribution, training, and qualification of human resources for health, are important factors in achieving Universal Health in the Region(2). There are several obstacles to access universal, comprehensive, good-quality health services in the Region of the Americas(1). Despite advances in economic and social development and the consequent strengthening of health systems in the Region, collaboration across health, education, and labor sectors needs to be better aligned to promote education that will prepare professionals to meet the health needs of the population and the countries(3-4). Interprofessional collaboration is a promising strategy for mitigating the workforce crisis and improving health care that, if carried out by interprofessional health teams, enables optimization of skills and holistic, high-quality, people-centered care(5-6). Effective collaboration among health team members requires health professional education based on the interprofessional education (IPE) approach. As defined by the WHO, IPE “occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes”(5). Evidence indicates that IPE 1) promotes the development of attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors conducive to collaborative practice and 2) improves teamwork by developing respect for and recognition of individuals’ skills(7). This type of training enables health professionals to use the full capacity of their training(3-4,8). If used throughout professional training rather than as isolated components of the educational curriculum, IPE can strengthen health sector human resources capacity, improve outcomes, and thus strengthen health Editorial Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem 2017;25:e2866 DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.0000.2866 www.eerp.usp.br/rlae