[Limitations of multiprofessional work: a case study of STD/AIDS reference centers]

To understand the possibilities and limitations of developing coordinated work among professionals of different background in order to promote work collaboration and improve the quality of care of HIV/AIDS patients.

A qualitative study on multiprofessional work was carried out in five STD/AIDS reference centers in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were applied to 26 professionals from different background, focusing on how they position their practices in a multiprofessional setting.

Significant differences were observed as to the outreach of multiprofessional work collaboration and possibilities of improving health care are related to the circumstances the multiprofessional work is done.

When the multiprofessional team has to deal with predictable circumstances and the planning of long-term care projects where demands are anticipated from situations found in their practices, this creates better working conditions for effective collaboration. This collaboration favors interventions that promote a more productive interaction between the medical treatment and other relevant dimensions of care, such as social, psychological, and emotional needs of the patients.