Introduction

Community-Based Education (CBE) in the context of teaching health professionals is not a new concept, since its origin dates back to the 1970s, but over the years the way in which CBE is applied in medical education has undergone transformations. In Brazil, since 2001, CBE has been incorporated into the curricular guidelines of undergraduate courses in the health area, and more recently in 2014 in the publication of the new guidelines of undergraduate courses in medicine.

Objective

The purpose of the present research is to ascertain the senses and meanings that teachers attribute to Community-Based Education in the curricular matrices in force in the medical training offered at UNICEPLAC in 2016 and to identify rooms for improvement in the teaching at the institution in line with the national guidelines.

Method

A qualitative study conducted at the Centro Universitário do Planalto Central Apparecido dos Santos (UNICEPLAC). The data were collected through a reflective interview with 13 teachers who are or were directly connected to CBE promoted at this institution in the year 2016. The method of data analysis was the Bardin Content Analysis, using Atlas-ti 7 software for analysis support.

Results

The results show that most teachers state that they are familiar with the concept of CBE, but their understanding of the concept often diverges from the literature. They also indicated failures in the workload, teacher-teacher relationships and teachercoordination relationships, in planning and the provision of adequate scenarios for CBE-related subjects, as well as macro-political challenges concerning the applicability of CBE in practical settings of the Unified Health System (SUS). These results were related to the bureaucratization of partnerships and to a lack of accountability shared between teacher, educational institution and State.

Conclusion

As CBE has gradually been incorporated in medical education, institutions also have an increasing need to transform and adapt to current curricular guidelines. It is suggested that permanent faculty training on the understanding and application of the CBE be implemented, as well as the creation of a sector or appointment of a dedicated role for the institutionalization, formalization and maintenance of the scenarios, highlighting primary care scenarios in the SUS. It is also essential to instruct the students on the subject so they can understand the applicability of CBE, its importance in medical education and its contribution to improving the quality of life of the population.

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