INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN HEALTH: INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE, PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION, AND PATHWAYS TO COMPREHENSIVE CARE

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity in healthcare is a fundamental strategy for addressing the complexity of healthcare needs and overcoming fragmented care models. This chapter discusses the integration of knowledge, interprofessional collaboration, and pathways to building comprehensive care, highlighting that the presence of different professions in a team does not, in itself, guarantee interdisciplinary practice. The effectiveness of collaborative work depends on effective communication, clarity of roles and responsibilities, trust, shared objectives, collaborative leadership, information sharing, and person-centered care. The importance of organizational conditions, interprofessional education, and continuing education for the development of collaborative competencies is also evident. Although studies point to positive repercussions of interprofessional collaboration in different contexts, its results depend on the population, the characteristics of the interventions, and the quality of their implementation. It is concluded that interdisciplinarity should be understood as a daily construction, capable of articulating different knowledge and skills around the needs of individuals, families, and communities, contributing to more integrated, participatory, and coherent care in accordance with the principle of comprehensiveness.