Professional roles of a health team: a view of its components

Abstract

Based on the Theory of Roles, this study aimed to examine health team professionals' views on the role played by their colleagues. We interviewed 39 health professionals: 01 nutritionist, 02 psychologists, 02 nurses, 03 physiotherapists, 04 pharmacists, 10 dentists and 17 physicians. The results showed that the participants considered that teamwork shares responsibility, which relieves stress and is a way of learning; they also indicate that expectations regarding the professionals' role are not very clear and that most participants have little knowledge about their colleagues' professional role. The most clearly described professional roles are those of physicians, nurses and pharmacists. The most obscure is the psychologist's role.