OBJECTIVETo undertake a meta-synthesis of the literature on the main concepts and
practices related to permanent education in health.METHODSA bibliographical search was conducted for original articles in the PubMed,
Web of Science, LILACS, IBECS and SciELO databases, using the following
search terms: “public health professional education”, “permanent education”,
“continuing education”, “permanent education health”. Of the 590 articles
identified, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 were
selected for further analysis, grouped according to the criteria of key
elements, and then underwent meta-synthesis.RESULTSThe 48 original publications were classified according to four thematic units
of key elements: 1) concepts, 2) strategies and difficulties, 3) public
policies and 4) educational institutions. Three main conceptions of
permanent education in health were found: problem-focused and team work,
directly related to continuing education and education that takes place
throughout life. The main strategies for executing permanent education in
health are discussion, maintaining an open space for permanent education,
and permanent education clusters. The most limiting factor is mainly related
to directly or indirect management. Another highlight is the requirement for
implementation and maintenance of public policies, and the availability of
financial and human resources. The educational institutions need to combine
education and service aiming to form critical-reflexive graduates.CONCLUSIONSThe coordination between health and education is based as much on the actions
of health services as on management and educational institutions. Thus, it
becomes a challenge to implement the teaching-learning processes that are
supported by critical-reflexive actions. It is necessary to carry out
proposals for permanent education in health involving the participation of
health professionals, teachers and educational institutions.