The use of the e-SUS Território mobile application in the work of community health workers in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: Community health workers work directly in the communities and are the intermediaries between the population’s needs and the primary health care teams. Their work focuses on health education and preventing diseases and disorders, accompanying citizens, families, and households in a particular neighborhood. This study sought to analyze the use of the e-SUS Território application in the work of community health workers in Brazil. Methods: Usability data extracted from Google Analytics from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed, including productivity indicators, number and location of users, and engagement. An overview of the application’s main features was also provided. Results: The application is an important work tool used by these professionals, who stopped using printed sheets to record their activities and began recording them in a digital, unified, asynchronous way anywhere in Brazil, regardless of internet connectivity. The application had 425,000 active users in 2022, reaching 141,000 monthly active users in June of the same year, representing 54.8% of all community health workers in Brazil. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the wide and exponential adherence of the e-SUS Território application over the years and the increase in the productivity of professionals who use it, facilitating and encouraging the recording of health information.