Reflective diaries were brought into use for Multiprofessional Residence in Family Health at the National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over a two-year period, we monitored a multiprofessional team of three residents at a Family Health Strategy module, seeking to understand the origins of this tool in anthropological field diaries and in reflective portfolios within education. The tool was shown to be effective tool and made it possible to monitor the practical activities and operations of teams. It provided support for assessing the students as a resource for reformulation of practice, and for developing ethical principles and relationships with individuals and the community. At the time when the students were faced with the challenge of dealing with reality, i.e. the daily life of the community, the importance of the diary became clear.
Family Healthcare; Reflective diary; Pedagogical healthcare work; Anthropology cultural; Reflective portfolio