The workforce crisis in healthcare: Moving the debate to bridge evidence and policy.

This Special Issue aims to advance the healthcare workforce (HCWF) debate by directing its attention to the implementation of policy recommendations and identifying weaknesses. The selection of articles highlights a wide range of HCWF policies and interventions across various countries. The challenges faced often stem from policy failures and governance gaps at the macro-, meso- and micro-levels of health systems. Recommendations to mitigate the HCWF crisis include interconnected strategies, multi-/transsectoral policies, solidarity-based efforts, collaboration, skill-mix reforms, equity measures, global approaches, and crucially, strong political will. In addition, specific policy solutions are explored, such as community-centred action and employment of community health workers, mental health support initiatives, inclusion of refugees and displaced healthcare workers into the labour market, and preparing the HCWF for the impact of climate change. This Special Issue calls for transformative HCWF policies and multi-level transsectoral governance as essential components needed to effectively address the crisis. This will only be possible, if HCWF policy moves higher up in the public policy arena leading, among other things, to the establishment of HCWF research as a distinct academic field.

Comparative health policy goes qualitative: Broadening the focus of research after COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed health policy frontstage and exposed the stark differences in government capacities to respond to the crisis. This has created new demands for comparative heath policy to support knowledge creation on a large scale. However, comparative health policy has not necessarily been well prepared; studies have focused on health systems and used typologies together with descriptive, quantitative methods. This makes it difficult to capture the multi-level nature of health policy, the diverse actors involved and the many societal facets of governance performance. We argue for broadening the perspective to include health policy as a bottom-up process with diverse interests. This calls for expanding the methodology of comparative health policy by also using approaches that make greater use of explorative, qualitative research. We introduce possible developmental pathways to illustrate what this may look like. The Pan-European Commission shows how to broaden the definition of comparative health policy, notably as transnational and planetary. The gender analysis matrix illustrates how comparative health policy can strengthen its assessment of performance by focussing on gender equity. The street-level bureaucrat framework highlights how analysing frontline work can help conduct small-scale bottom-up comparisons of health policy. Together, these developmental pathways demonstrate the potential to broaden comparative health policy towards greater responsiveness to the societal performance of governments, such as social inequalities created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This also opens opportunities for strengthening the global outlook of comparative health policy.

Are community health programmes always benign? Community health worker perceptions and the social construction of users in Brazil's primary healthcare policy.

We examine how community health workers (CHWs), while working as links between doctors, nurses and vulnerable groups, participate in the social construction of citizens in the implementation of Brazil's primary healthcare policy. Drawing on interviews and a vignette experiment with CHWs in the city of São Paulo, we show that perceptions of CHWs about the vulnerability and agency of health system users impact upon their referrals to other levels of service. Judgments about the socioeconomic, cultural and moral conditions of families determine different referrals - on the one hand, to practices based on persuasion and respect for individual choices; on the other, to 'top-down' or forcible interventions. While implementing the same healthcare policy, CHWs construct users as (responsible) agents or (helpless) targets, thus determining different pathways in the health system and shaping the relationship between citizens and the state. Brazil's primary health policy, while seeking to tackle vulnerability, is also a site where social representations are reproduced that contribute to the denial of the agency of citizens deemed more vulnerable and to the definition of their bodies as sites for state intervention.

Comparing Health Workforce Policy during a Major Global Health Crisis: A Critical Conceptual Debate and International Empirical Investigation.

BACKGROUND: The health workforce is central to healthcare systems and population health, but marginal in comparative health policy. This study aims to highlight the crucial relevance of the health workforce and contribute comparative evidence to help improve the protection of healthcare workers and prevention of inequalities during a major public health crisis. METHODS: Our integrated governance framework considers system, sector, organizational and socio-cultural dimensions of health workforce policy. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as the policy field and Brazil, Canada, Italy, and Germany as illustrative cases. We draw on secondary sources (literature, document analysis, public statistics, reports) and country expert information with a focus on the first COVID-19 waves until the summer of 2021. RESULTS: Our comparative investigation illustrates the benefits of a multi-level governance approach beyond health system typologies. In the selected countries, we found similar problems and governance gaps concerning increased workplace stress, lack of mental health support, and gender and racial inequalities. Health policy across countries failed to adequately respond to the needs of HCWs, thus exacerbating inequalities during a major global health crisis. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative health workforce policy research may contribute new knowledge to improve health system resilience and population health during a crisis.

COVID-19 and health promotion in Brazil: community health workers between vulnerability and resistance.

Health promotion in Brazil relies on community health workers (CHWs), frontline providers linking the health system with vulnerable groups. Brazilian CHWs are overwhelmingly women from poor backgrounds, with precarious and sometimes hazardous working conditions, as well as fragmented and unsystematic training. This paper evaluates how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities of CHWs (pertaining to low salary, precarious and hazardous working conditions and inadequate training) and created new ones, with a profound impact on their ability to carry out health promotion activities. Drawing on testimonials of dozens of CHWs and online discussions promoted by their unions, the paper reveals that during the pandemic CHWs were asked to continue their work without adequate training and protective equipment, thus exposing themselves to the risk of infection. It further shows how the pandemic rendered dangerous the close interaction with patients that is at the heart of their health promotion role. Nonetheless, CHWs sought to adapt their work. In the absence of leadership and coordination on the part of the federal government, CHWs mobilized different forms of resistance at the national and individual levels. Despite this, COVID-19 contributed to a trajectory of erosion of health promotion in Brazil. Findings from this case signal the difficulties for health promotion in low- and middle-income countries relying on CHWs to bridge the health system and vulnerable users.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the frontline health workforce: Perceptions of vulnerability of Brazil's community health workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in calls for an increased integration of community health workers (CHWs) into the health system response. Historically, CHWs can play an important role in ensuring the sustainability of health policy implementation - by addressing social determinants of health and maintaining care for ongoing health problems. Their frontline work, with close contact to populations, places CHWs in a position of increased vulnerability to becoming infected and to being the target of abuse and violence. These vulnerabilities compound underlying problems faced by CHWs, who often come from poor backgrounds, are insufficiently paid and receive inadequate training. Speaking to a scarcity of studies on how CHWs are impacted by the pandemic, this paper conducts a systematic study of CHWs in Brazil. Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected during June and July 2020, it considers perceptions and experiences of CHWs, comparing them with other health professionals. We study the extent to which the pandemic added to existing vulnerabilities and created new problems and imbalances in the work of CHWs. We conclude that COVID-19 led to a deterioration of the working conditions of CHWs, of their relations with other health professionals, and of their ability to carry out their essential work in the public health system.

Examining the Intersection between Gender, Community Health Workers, and Vector Control Policies: A Text Mining Literature Review.

Gender intersects with healthcare systems; this is equally true for arboviral vector control efforts. However, there is as yet no comprehensive analysis as to how vector control is gendered. Hence, our objective is to provide the first thematic scoping and spatial distribution of the literature on gender, community health workers, and vector control. The authors use a systematic review approach to collect the academic literature on gender, community health workers, and vector control in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed (7,367 articles). After applying the exclusion criteria, 2,812 articles were analyzed using machine learning techniques: text mining and quantitative text analysis. The authors use topic modeling to assess the thematic scope of the literature and analyze the spatial distribution of themes. Our results show that the literature's spatial scope is strongly represented by the global south as research was conducted mainly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, places with greater incidence of vector-borne disease and with health systems, which incorporate community healthcare workers. However, there are significant spatial heterogeneities in where and how research is conducted. The topic analysis reveals that the literature predominantly considers issues of sex (e.g., pregnancy) and gender as it relates motherhood. Gendered considerations occur upon implementation of vector control policies, rather than being mainstreamed into their development and delivery. There is a need to deepen the analysis to allow for gendered aspects to be understood beyond binary sex differences and/or reproductive health.

How do community health workers institutionalise: An analysis of Brazil's CHW programme.

Community health workers (CHWs) are framed as the link between communities and the formal health system. CHWs must establish trusting relationships with the community and with the broader health service. How to find the optimal balance between the various strands of work for CHWs, and how to formalise this, has been the focus of different studies. We performed an extensive documentary analysis of federal legislation in Brazil to understand the institutionalisation of the CHW workforce in Brazil over the last 3 decades. The paper offers three contributions to the literature: the development and application of an analytical framework to consider the institutionalisation process of CHWs; a historical analysis of the professional institutionalisation of CHW in Brazil; and the identification of the paradoxes that such institutionalisation faces: firstly, institutionalisation focused on improving CHW remuneration created difficulties in hiring and paying these professionals; when CHW are incorporated within state bureaucracy they start to lose their autonomy as community agents; and that the effectiveness of CHW programmes depends on the improvement of clinical services in the most deprived areas.

Working through the fog of a pandemic: Street-level policy entrepreneurship in times of crises.

Imposing significant challenges for both street-level implementation and policy (re)design, crises alter the environment for street-level policy entrepreneurship (SLPE), wherein street-level bureaucrats engage in policy formulation processes to secure future policy outcomes. Nevertheless, like street-level implementation in general, SLPE is studied during ordinary times but rarely during crises. Focusing on community-health workers in Brazil during the Covid-19 crisis uncovered a defensive motivation for SLPE, which aimed to legitimize community healthcare as an integral part of pandemic treatment, reforming the government's hitherto neglectful approach to community health services. Moreover, the continuing crisis created an unusually prolonged window of opportunity for securing community healthcare provision. By utilizing collective efforts and drawing on powerful politicians' mobilization, SLPE during crisis shares similarities with, yet differs from, SLPE during ordinary times, while further closing the interstices between local, professional, and political perspectives in the formulation of policy decisions.

From "mentally ill" to "citizens": historical analysis of the construction of political categories in mental health in Brazil. / De "doentes mentais" a "cidadãos": análise histórica da construção das categorias políticas na saúde mental no Brasil.

Public policies are based on categories that have a double effect: build eligibility for rights and generate symbolic effects, reproducing or fighting social stigmas. This article aims to analyze the historical setup of categories targeted in mental health policies in Brazil. Based in a study of the legislation from 1841 to 2017, we observed how was the processes of constructing the political categories of mental health - passing from users to citizens or mentally ill. The processes of control of public policies were selected for the respect of users of mental health policy, the social framework of data and the criteria for access to policies and the construction of social stigmas. The analysis shows important changes in these categories over time that tried to remove stigmas based on new conceptions proposed by social movements of mental health, international policies and social changes, such as Brazilian re-democratization. However, we also highlight the difficulty of effectively coping with stigmas due to the lack of consensus in the field itself, resistance to changes in social categories, family members and health professionals.

Políticas públicas são baseadas em categorias que possuem um duplo efeito: constroem elegibilidade aos direitos e geram efeitos simbólicos, reproduzindo ou enfrentando estigmas sociais. Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar como, historicamente, foram construídas as categorias do público-alvo das políticas de saúde mental no Brasil. A partir de um estudo documental das legislações de 1841 até 2017, observamos os processos de construção das categorias políticas dos usuários da saúde mental. Foram analisados os processos de alteração das categorias políticas a respeito dos usuários da política de saúde mental, o enquadramento social dado a eles e seus efeitos em acesso a políticas e construção de estigmas sociais. As análises demonstraram mudanças importantes em categorias que buscaram desestigmatizar o sujeito das políticas ao longo do tempo baseadas em novas concepções propostas pelos movimentos sociais da saúde mental, pelas políticas internacionais e por mudanças sociais mais amplas, como a redemocratização do país. Entretanto, também evidenciamos a dificuldade do enfrentamento efetivo dos estigmas devido a falta de consenso do próprio campo, resistência das transformações das categorias sociais, dos familiares e dos profissionais da saúde.

Discretion, power and the reproduction of inequality in health policy implementation: Practices, discursive styles and classifications of Brazil's community health workers.

This article explores the mobilization of power by health workers during policy implementation, showing how in a context of discretion and resource scarcity they can reproduce inequalities in access to health services. The argument innovates theoretically by supplementing the 'street-level bureaucracy' literature, which emphasizes frontline worker discretion, with a conceptualization of power as domination encompassing the shaping of behavior, the constitution of subjects and the reproduction of inequality. Empirically, the article focuses on Brazilian community health workers (agentes comunitários desaúde, CHWs). CHWs are a neglected but highly important segment of the health workforce that traditionally functions as a link between the health system and disadvantaged groups. The article examines how Brazilian CHWs act as street-level bureaucrats mobilizing power in their interactions with users. They operate within a severely under-resourced public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde, which places constraints upon their action and forces them to make allocation decisions with little training and support. The article highlights the ways in which inequalities in access to health services are reproduced (inadvertently or not) through the practices, discursive styles and classifications of CHWs. Methodologically, the paper is based on ethnography with 24 CHWs and interviews with 77 other CHWs in Brazil.

Atuação da APS em tempos de crise: uma análise da discricionariedade dos profissionais de saúde na pandemia da COVID-19 / The role of PHC in times of crisis: an analysis of discretion of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Resumo Crises são eventos excepcionais que alteram os arranjos estruturais sob os quais a burocracia de nível de rua (BNR) atua normalmente, gerando insuficiência de recursos, suspensão de regras e de rotinas, e alteração das práticas de trabalho. Essas características ressaltam a importância do espaço de discricionariedade, uma vez que decisões rápidas precisam ser tomadas em um contexto atravessado pela imprevisibilidade. Neste artigo, analisamos o impacto da pandemia de COVID-19 no Brasil na discricionariedade dos profissionais de saúde da atenção primária à saúde (APS). Portanto, o objetivo do artigo é entender quais fatores impactaram a discricionariedade dos BNRs da APS, examinando aspectos organizacionais, emocionais e científicos. Para isso, analisamos os dados de um questionário, com respostas abertas e fechadas, com 1218 profissionais que atuavam na APS em março de 2021. Os resultados mostram que, diferente do esperado, a discricionariedade dos BNRs não se transforma em uma panaceia pela crise. Uma grande parcela dos profissionais seguiu operando dentro das regras, o que demonstrou a tendência dos BNRs de buscar respaldo para sua atuação, seja por melhores condições organizacionais, pela redução de incerteza ou por amparo na ciência.

Abstract Crises are exceptional events that alter the structural arrangements under which street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) normally operate, generating resource shortages, the suspension of rules and routines, and changes in work practices. These characteristics highlight the importance of room for discretion, since quick decisions need to be made in a context pervaded by unpredictability. This study analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil on the discretion of primary health care workers, seeking to understand which factors influence the exercise of discretion, focusing on organizational, emotional and scientific aspects. We used data from an online survey comprising open- and closed-ended questions conducted in March 2021 with 1218 primary care workers. The results show that, unexpectedly, discretion of SLBs does not become a panacea for the crisis. A large portion of professionals continued to operate within the rules, demonstrating a tendency to seek support at work, either through better organizational conditions, the reduction of uncertainty or from science.

Percepções dos profissionais de linha de frente da saúde sobre HIV e juventudes / Frontline health professionals' perceptions about HIV and youth

RESUMO A temática do HIV ainda é permeada de estigmas e culpabilização de indivíduos por seus comportamentos. Políticas públicas, incluindo a de HIV/Aids, são baseadas em categorias políticas que geram efeitos simbólicos, reproduzindo ou enfrentando estigmas. A literatura afirma que Trabalhadores da Linha de Frente (TLF) mobilizam valores pessoais e profissionais nas interações com os usuários, que podem incluir categorias sociais ou políticas. Este artigo objetivou compreender como TLF operam tais categorias em contextos institucionais de ambiguidade, bem como analisar se suas percepções com relação às categorias de comportamento de risco e juventude estão em consonância com as políticas públicas. Foram analisadas 8 normativas e entrevistados 42 trabalhadores de 6 serviços de saúde. Os materiais foram codificados, as categorias oficiais foram comparadas, e as práticas, identificadas. As conclusões sugerem que as categorias sociais e políticas têm influência mútua. As categorias políticas ainda são legitimadas por meio de percepções sociais de normalidade e risco, especialmente ao lidar com populações prioritárias. As categorias sociais, operadas na implementação reforçam estigmas e julgamentos morais sobre alguns jovens, como os negros e pobres, as mães solteiras e a comunidade LGBTQIA+. Os serviços especializados utilizam mais as categorias políticas do que os serviços de atenção primária.

ABSTRACT Discussions about HIV are still permeated with stigmas and placing blame on individuals for their behavior. Public policies, including those related to HIV/AIDS, are based on political categories that can generate symbolic effects, either by reproducing or confronting stigmas. The literature points out that frontline health workers (TLF) apply personal and professional values in their interactions with service users, and that these values may be influenced by social or political categories. This article aims to understand how TLF operate such categories in institutional contexts that might be ambiguous, as well to analyze whether TLF's perceptions of categories related to risk behavior and youth are in line with public policies. We analyzed 8 policy documents and interviewed 42 workers from 6 health services. The materials were coded, the official categories were compared and the practices were identified. The findings suggest that social and political categories have mutual influences. Political categories are still legitimized through social perceptions of normalcy and risk, especially as it relates to priority populations. Social categories, which operate in policy implementation, reinforce stigmas and moral judgments about certain young people, such as blacks and the poor, single mothers and those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. Specialized services utilize political categories more than primary care services.

Desafios para a Atenção Primária à Saúde no Brasil: uma análise do trabalho das agentes comunitárias de saúde durante a pandemia de Covid-19 / Challenges for Primary Health Care in Brazil: an analysis on the labor of community health workers during a COVID-19 pandemic / Retos para la Atención Primaria de Salud en Brasil: un análisis del trabajo de las agentes comunitarias de salud en la pandemia de Covid-19

Resumo As fragilidades da Atenção Primária à Saúde podem ser reconhecidas por meio da análise do trabalho das agentes comunitárias de saúde. Uma vez que a situação enfrentada por essas profissionais representa desafios estruturais do sistema de saúde, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a situação das profissionais em questão no enfrentamento à pandemia de Covid-19 no Brasil. Analisamos seus desafios com base nos dados coletados em um inquérito online e em netnografia. Para a realização da análise dos dados, optamos pela análise de conteúdo, inspirada na grounded-theory. Observamos três dimensões que representam como as agentes comunitárias de saúde experienciam a pandemia: mudanças nas práticas de trabalho, bem como nas interações entre trabalhadores e usuários e a expectativa do futuro no trabalho pós-pandemia. As análises mostram que para resguardar essas profissionais e garantir o funcionamento da Atenção Primária à Saúde é necessário contar com novas estratégias para viabilizar as dinâmicas locais de trabalho.

Abstract The weaknesses of Primary Health Care can be recognized by analyzing the work of community health workers. Since the situation faced by these professionals represents structural challenges in the health system, this article aims to analyze the situation of these professionals when facing the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. We analyze their challenges based on data collected from an online survey and netnography. For data analysis, we opted for content analysis, inspired by grounded-theory. We observed three dimensions that represent how community health workers experience the pandemic: changes in work practices, as well as in the interactions between workers and users and the expectation of the future in post-pandemic work. The analyses show that in order to protect these professionals and guarantee the functioning of Primary Health Care, it is necessary to have new strategies to make the dynamics of the workplace feasible.

Resumen Se puede reconocer las fragilidades de la Atención Primaria de Salud por medio del análisis del trabajo de las agentes comunitarias de salud. Una vez que la situación enfrentada por esas profesionales representa retos estructurales del sistema de salud, este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la situación de las profesionales en cuestión frente la pandemia de Covid-19 en Brasil. Analizamos sus desafíos en función de los datos recogidos en una encuesta on-line y em netnografía. Para la realización del análisis de los datos, optamos por el análisis del contenido, inspirado en la grounded-theory (teoría fundamentada). Observamos trés dimensiones que representan la forma como las agentes comunitarias de salud viven la pandemia: los cambios en las prácticas de trabajo, así como en las interacciones entre trabajadores y usuarios y la expectativa del futuro en el trabajo pospandémico. Los análisis muestran que, para proteger esas profesionales y garantizar el funcionamento de la Atención Primaria de Salud, es necesario contar con nuevas estrategias para hacer viables las dinámicas locales de trabajo.

Atenção primária na saúde suplementar brasileira: estudo qualitativo em planos de saúde / Primary health care in brazilian supplementary health: a qualitative study with selected healthplans

Objetivo -A atenção primária à saúde (APS) tem sido considerada como o pilar da organização do sistema de saúde. Apesar das iniciativas indutoras da Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar (ANS), os programas ainda evidenciam baixo alcance,tanto para os beneficiários quanto para a rede assistencial, com impacto limitado nos resultados clínicos, operacionais e financeiros. O presente estudo visa analisar os fatores que podem ser potenciais barreiras para uma maior escala da APS na saúde suplementar brasileira. Métodos -Trata-se de estudo qualitativo envolvendo amostra de gestores de operadoras de saúde selecionadas pelo Laboratório de Inovação de Atenção Primária na Saúde Suplementar. Resultados -No total, 12 profissionais foram entrevistados, de diferentes tipos de operadoras de saúde. A análise qualitativa permitiu o agrupamento em grandes áreas, envolvendo as condições e os desafios de implantação, de ampliação da escala, de integração com os outros níveis de assistência e o engajamento dos usuários. Finalmente, foram identificados caminhos para que a APS tenha mais escala e atinja os resultados desejados. Conclusão -Apesar de se reconhecer a APS como o elemento central na organização do sistema, integrado à rede assistencial, ela ainda não é amplamente adotada na saúde suplementar brasileira. Os gestores dos programas de APS que participaram desta pesquisa destacaram pontos fundamentais a serem abordados, nos diferentes níveis das organizações.

Objective -Primary health care (PHC) has been considered the pillar of the organization of the health system. Despite the ANS-inducing initiatives, they still show low scale, both for beneficiaries and the assistance network, with limited impact on clinical, operational, and financial results. The present study aims to analyze the factors that may be potential barriers to a larger scale of PHC in Brazilian supplementary health. Methods -This is a qualitative study involving a sample of managers of health plans selected by the Innovation Laboratory on Experiences of Primary Care in Brazilian Supplementary Health. Results -In total, 12 professionals were interviewed, from different types of health operators. The qualitative analysis allowed grouping in large areas, involving the conditions and deployment challenges, the scale of expansion, integration with other levels of care and user engagement. Finally, pathways have been identified for the PHC to have more scale and achieve the desired results. Conclusions -Although PHC is recognized as the central element in the organization of the system, integrated into the care network,it is not yet widely adopted in Brazilian supplementary health. The PHC program managers who participated in this research highlighted fundamental points to be addressed, at different levels of organizations.

Momentos da recentralização: repasses e relações intergovernamentais no Brasil (1995-2014) / Moments of recentralization

Embora o debate brasileiro acerca do processo de recentralização da Federação seja amplamente conhecido, falta, à literatura que apontou a origem e o processo de afloramento da recentralização recente, uma qualificação deste processo, ou seja, de que forma o governo federal tem se comportado na relação com municípios e estados, observando as relações federativas e os tipos de incentivos e induções são promovidos entre os entes. Visando trabalhar essa lacuna, a hipótese aqui colocada é de que, embora seja incontestável este movimento de recentralização, ele assume formas diferentes ao longo das gestões federais. Para trabalhar essa hipótese, o artigo baseia-se em uma análise de como as relações federativas têm se efetivado no estabelecimento de convênios entre governo federal e governos municipais e estaduais. Analisando todos os convênios firmados pelo governo federal com estados e municípios entre os governos de FHC e Dilma (1995-2014), o artigo observa os movimentos pelos quais as relações federativas vêm passando neste período, logrando qualificar como este movimento é heterogêneo e tem significados distintos ao longo das diferentes gestões.

Although the Brazilian debate about the recentralization process of the federation is widely known, there is a lack in the literature that discusses the origin and the process of uprising of recentralization, a qualification of this process. That is, in what way the federal government has behaved in relation to municipalities and states, critically observing federal relations, and what types of incentives and inducements are promoted among entities. To address this gap, the hypothesis forward here is that, although this recentralization movement is incontestable, it takes different forms throughout the presidential mandates. In order to work on this hypothesis, the article is based on an analysis of how federal relations have been effected in the establishment of agreements between Federal Government and Municipal and State Governments. Analyzing all the agreements signed by the federal government with states and municipalities between the governments of FHC and Dilma (1995-2014), the article observes the movements by which federative relations have passed in this period, managing to describe how this movement is heterogeneous and has different meanings over the different mandates.

Inclusão, exclusão e (re)produção de desigualdades: o papel das práticas, interações e julgamentos dos agentes comunitários de saúde na implementação das políticas públicas

Aborda a implementação de serviços na área da saúde, analisando a atuação dos agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS), como atores centrais da implementação da Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) e que atuam como mediadores principais entre os usuários e o Estado.

Saberes locais, mediação e cidadania: o caso dos agentes comunitários de saúde / Local knowedge and citizenship: the communitarian health agents

As discussões sobre o novo significado de cidadania, valorização da diferença e respeito à diversidade de saberes trazem a questão de como as políticas públicas podem ser localmente enraizadas para garantir que essa diversidade seja contemplada em seus processos. Esta incorporação é ainda mais relevante quando tratamos de políticas de saúde, onde a interação entre implementadores e beneficiários é essencial para compreender os resultados da política. O Programa Saúde da Família (PSF) tem tentado mudar as relações entre Estado e beneficiários, aproximando profissionais da saúde dos cotidiano vividos pelos beneficiários onde, muitas vezes, há (re)produção dos componentes que levam às situações de insegurança, insalubridade e doença. No caso desse programa, a análise das políticas públicas deve levar em conta os processos de interação e a ação dos atores envolvidos na implementação do PSF. Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar o papel dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde enquanto implementadores do PSF. Através de pesquisas etnográficas acompanhando as atividades dos ACS em diferentes municípios, buscamos compreender como eles lidam com seus múltiplos saberes, ativam e desativam referências e adaptam ação para colocar em prática o Programa. A partir de análises de 24 Agentes Comunitários de diferentes municípios, avanlaos na compreensão de como se dão as mediações e as interações em suas práticas e como constroem as políticas públicas enraizando ações a partir dos cotidianos locais, construindo formas alternativas de implementação dessas políticas.

Burocracia e implementação de políticas de saúde: os agentes comunitários na Estratégia Saúde da Família / Bureaucracy and implementation of health policies: community workers in the Family Health Strategy

Traz uma análise inovadora do campo das políticas públicas e da saúde coletiva. Investiga um viés pouco explorado dessa questão: a implementação das políticas e programas de saúde no Brasil com um olhar para a atuação dos burocratas, mais especificamente dos ‘burocratas de nível de rua’, como são chamados no livro os agentes comunitários de saúde. Estes profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família, responsáveis por implementar grande parte do programa nos domicílios dos usuários, têm a particularidade de ser recrutados na comunidade onde devem atuar e têm, portanto, uma dupla vinculação: ao Estado e à comunidade. Eles estão na ponta do serviço público, em contato direto e constante com os cidadãos. Ao analisar a dinâmica de interações entre os agentes e os usuários, a autora mostra como valores, crenças e ideias contribuem para mudar as políticas públicas tais como foram concebidas originalmente...