Introduction:

Interprofessional education is included in the third major health education reform. It consists of health systems-based teaching, focused on local and global competencies. It is the base of an interprofessional collaborative practice that guarantees a comprehensive health care service for patients, families and the community.

Objective:

To demonstrate the need for interprofessional education process in undergraduate and postgraduate Health Sciences education as a guarantee of an effective interprofessional collaborative practice that contributes to a sustainable and inclusive comprehensive health care.

Method:

A documentary research, in English and Spanish, was carried out in several databases: Scopus, SciELO, PubMed/MedLine, Redalyc, Google Scholar and the Infomed portal. The information was systematized and authors gave their critical evaluations.

Development:

Collaborative interprofessional practice has been increasing in different scenarios and has become an essential condition for quality care service as demanded by society and healthcare systems worldwide in recent years and it is a necessary requirement for quality and health care safety. Collaborative interprofessional education improves coordination, integration and the merging of useful knowledge among different health and social care professionals. A close relationship between ministries of health and training institutions is required for interprofessional education from undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education.

Final considerations:

Collaborative interprofessional education in health care education contributes to sustainable interprofessional collaborative practice.

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