The practice of physicians and nurses in the Brazilian Family Health Programme – evidences of change in the delivery health care model

Abstract

The article analyzes the practice of physicians and nurses working on the Family Health Programme (Programa de Saúde da Família or PSF, in Portuguese).A questionnaire was used to assess the evidences of assimilation of the new values and care principles proposed by the programme.The results showed that a great number of professionals seem to have incorporated the practice of home visits, health education actions and planning of the teams' work agenda to their routine labour activities.

Implementing large‐scale programmes to optimise the health workforce in low‐ and middle‐income settings: a multicountry case study synthesis

“…These councils aim to facilitate community participation in defining priorities for the Family Health Programme at the local level and in planning service delivery (Magalhães & Senna ; Peres et al . ). One study of six municipalities (Peres et al .…”

“…One study of six municipalities (Peres et al . ) indicated that many Family Health Team members never participated in their local health councils, and that on average, Family Health Team members participated in meetings with community members 4 days per year (Peres et al . ).…”

Human resources for health and universal health coverage: fostering equity and effective coverage

“…Since the adoption of its current constitution in 1988, Brazil has worked progressively to achieve UHC by setting up the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) [Unified Health System], an integrated health 29 and improvements in population health and, indirectly, in labour supply. 30 The successes of these HRH policies have been made possible by strong political commitment and a sustained policy focus.…”

Community Health Workers in Global Health: Scale and Scalability

“…The program's rigorous selection criteria of women who reside in the community helped to improve community perception and increase demand for health services. A robust supervision system whereby nurses spend 50% of their time supervising the Agentes de Saúde has been credited as key to the program's success 50. This strong supervision, supported by timely data to inform the health staff of the major health concerns in the area, allowed for high‐quality delivery of services and rapid turnaround time in addressing major community‐health concerns, building high quality of care and community buy‐in 45…”

“…This was seen in the Pakistani and Ethiopian case studies; despite strong planning for integration with the PHC system, the continuum of care was limited by the strength of the PHC facilities themselves. In Brazil, the management of processes was captured well through their system of “provider teams,” wherein various levels of providers including Agentes de Saúde, nurses, and doctors would be in charge of different cases as a team 50. The PIH model also encourages team management of care 56.…”