Maintenance of medium- and high-complexity health services in the context of high patient transition: a time series ecological study of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. / Manutenção dos serviços de média e alta complexidade em contexto de alta transição de usuários: um estudo ecológico de séries temporais no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

The study addresses the historical disparities in the distribution of the medium- and high-complexity health network and the limits to budget adjustments between the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring municipalities of the Metropolitan region 1. An ecological study was conducted with data related to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, chosen because it has a large assistance network, while located on the borders of vulnerable and underprivileged areas, characterizing a locus that is representative of the situations faced throughout the country. A decrease in the gross values of the programmed quotas in all municipalities of Rio de Janeiro was observed from 2016 onwards. The temporal trend of the programmed quotas remained stable for all municipalities in the Metropolitan Region 1, even with significant increases in the accomplished quotas for neighboring municipalities. The resulting overload in local expenditure prevents the increase of capacity to anticipate fluctuations in demand, both known and unexpected ones, compromising the responsiveness of the health system regarding its regular operation, as well as the ability to adjust to cope with extraordinary events, essential characteristics of resilience.

O estudo explora as históricas disparidades regionais na distribuição da rede de média e alta complexidade e os limites impostos para a o remanejamento dos tetos de financiamento entre o município do Rio de Janeiro e municípios limítrofes da Região Metropolitana 1. Foi realizado um estudo ecológico com dados referentes à cidade do Rio de Janeiro, escolhido por ter uma grande rede de assistência e limites com territórios vulneráveis e carentes de serviços de saúde, caracterizando um lócus representativo das situações enfrentadas em todo o país. Foi observado um decréscimo dos valores brutos das cotas programadas em todos os municípios do Rio de Janeiro a partir de 2016. A tendência temporal das cotas programadas se manteve estacionária para todos os municípios da Região Metropolitana 1, mesmo com aumentos significativos nas cotas para municípios limítrofes. A resultante sobrecarga no aporte local de recursos impede o aumento da capacidade para antecipar flutuações de demanda, tanto conhecidas quanto inesperadas, comprometendo a responsividade do sistema de saúde no que respeita seu funcionamento regular, bem como a capacidade de ajuste para lidar com eventos extraordinários, características essenciais da resiliência.

Decentralizing referral prioritization to general practitioners at the primary care level: A qualitative case study based on the Grounded Theory.

BACKGROUND: Patient referral prioritizations is an essential process in coordinating healthcare delivery, since it organizes the waiting lists according to priorities and availability of resources. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to highlight the consequences of decentralizing ambulatory patient referrals to general practitioners that work as family physicians in primary care clinics. METHODS: A qualitative case study was carried out in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The ten health regions of Rio de Janeiro were visited during fieldwork, totalizing 35 hours of semi-structured interviews and approximately 70 hours of analysis based on the Grounded Theory. RESULTS: The findings of this study show that the obstacles to adequate referrals are beyond the management of vacancies, ranging from the standardization of prioritization criteria to ensuring the proper employment of referral protocols in diverse locations assisted by overloaded health workers with different backgrounds and perceptions. Efforts in decentralizing patient referral to primary care still face the growing dilemmas and challenges of expanding the coverage of health services while putting pressure on risk assessment, as well as sustaining the autonomy of physicians' work while respecting the eligibility when ordering waiting lists. CONCLUSION: A major strength of this work is on the method to organize and aggregate qualitative data using visual representations. Limitations concerning the reach of fieldwork in vulnerable and hardly accessible areas were overcame using snowball sampling techniques, making more participants accessible.

Manutenção dos serviços de média e alta complexidade em contexto de alta transição de usuários: um estudo ecológico de séries temporais no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil / Maintenance of medium- and high-complexity health services in the context of high patient transition: a time series ecological study of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Resumo O estudo explora as históricas disparidades regionais na distribuição da rede de média e alta complexidade e os limites impostos para a o remanejamento dos tetos de financiamento entre o município do Rio de Janeiro e municípios limítrofes da Região Metropolitana 1. Foi realizado um estudo ecológico com dados referentes à cidade do Rio de Janeiro, escolhido por ter uma grande rede de assistência e limites com territórios vulneráveis e carentes de serviços de saúde, caracterizando um lócus representativo das situações enfrentadas em todo o país. Foi observado um decréscimo dos valores brutos das cotas programadas em todos os municípios do Rio de Janeiro a partir de 2016. A tendência temporal das cotas programadas se manteve estacionária para todos os municípios da Região Metropolitana 1, mesmo com aumentos significativos nas cotas para municípios limítrofes. A resultante sobrecarga no aporte local de recursos impede o aumento da capacidade para antecipar flutuações de demanda, tanto conhecidas quanto inesperadas, comprometendo a responsividade do sistema de saúde no que respeita seu funcionamento regular, bem como a capacidade de ajuste para lidar com eventos extraordinários, características essenciais da resiliência.

Abstract The study addresses the historical disparities in the distribution of the medium- and high-complexity health network and the limits to budget adjustments between the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring municipalities of the Metropolitan region 1. An ecological study was conducted with data related to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, chosen because it has a large assistance network, while located on the borders of vulnerable and underprivileged areas, characterizing a locus that is representative of the situations faced throughout the country. A decrease in the gross values of the programmed quotas in all municipalities of Rio de Janeiro was observed from 2016 onwards. The temporal trend of the programmed quotas remained stable for all municipalities in the Metropolitan Region 1, even with significant increases in the accomplished quotas for neighboring municipalities. The resulting overload in local expenditure prevents the increase of capacity to anticipate fluctuations in demand, both known and unexpected ones, compromising the responsiveness of the health system regarding its regular operation, as well as the ability to adjust to cope with extraordinary events, essential characteristics of resilience.

Prospecção das condições de trabalho do Samu-192 fluvial em cenários de crise a partir da resiliência no enfrentamento à Covid-19 no Alto Solimões / Investigation of the working conditions of the river-based SAMU-192 in crisis scenarios based on resilience in the face of COVID-19 in Alto Solimões

RESUMO Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo prospectar as condições de trabalho das equipes de socorro do Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência (Samu-192) fluvial das áreas ribeirinhas e costeiras da região do Alto-Solimões, a partir da análise sistêmica das atividades no serviço de embarcações popularmente chamadas de 'ambulanchas' durante os picos da Covid-19 no estado do Amazonas, quando o sistema de saúde funcionou sob o estresse provocado pela pandemia. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de um desenho transversal exploratório, baseado em dados qualitativos coletados por meio de entrevistas e observação do funcionamento normal do sistema antes da pandemia. A partir daí modelos de dois cenários foram elaborados mostrando o funcionamento do serviço de ambulanchas ao lidar com a pandemia de Covid-19 e o impacto nas condições de trabalho das equipes de socorro interprofissionais de socorro. Entrevistas remotas com trabalhadores das ambulanchas após a pandemia indicaram que a prospecção das condições de trabalho a partir das instâncias dos modelos corresponderam ao funcionamento real do sistema durante a pandemia de Covid-19.

ABSTRACT This research aimed to prospect the working conditions of the rescue teams of the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU-192) at the fluvial areas of the Alto Solimoes region, trough the systemic analysis of the activities of the water ambulances service popularly called 'ambulanchas' during the peaks of COVID-19 in the state of Amazonas, when the health system functioned under stress caused by the pandemic. Data were obtained from an exploratory cross-sectional design, based on qualitative data collected through interviews and observation of the normal functioning of the system before the pandemic. From there, models of two scenarios were developed showing the functioning of the water ambulances service when coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the working conditions of the interprofessional rescue teams. Remote interviews with workers after the pandemic indicated that the prospection of working conditions from the instances of the models corresponded to the real functioning of the system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A framework to assess potential health system resilience using fuzzy logic.

Objectives: To develop and test a framework to assess the potential of public health systems to maintain a resilient performance. Methods: Quantitative data from public databases and qualitative data from technical reports of Brazilian health authorities were used to develop the framework which was assessed and modified by experts. Fuzzy logic was used for the mathematical model to determine scores for four resilient abilities - monitoring, anticipation, learning, and response - and an aggregated coefficient of resilient potential in health care. The coefficient measures used data from before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These were compared with measures of the actual performance of health systems in 10 cities in Brazil during the pandemic. Results: The coefficient of resilient potential in health care showed that the cities most affected by COVID-19 had lower potential for resilient performance before the pandemic. Some local health systems had adequate response capabilities, but other abilities were not well developed, which adversely affected the management of the spread of COVID-19. Conclusions: The coefficient of resilient potential in health care is useful to indicate important areas for resilient performance and the different types of resilience capacities that can be considered in different contexts and levels of public health systems. Regular assessment of the potential of health systems for resilient performance would help highlight opportunities for continuous improvement in health system functions during chronic stress situations, which could strengthen their ability to keep functioning in the face of sudden disturbances.

Transformative dimensions of resilience and brittleness during health systems' collapse: a case study in Brazil using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method.

BACKGROUND: As health systems struggle to tackle the spread of Covid-19, resilience becomes an especially relevant attribute and research topic. More than strength or preparedness, to perform resiliently to emerging shocks, health systems must develop specific abilities that aim to increase their potential to adapt to extraordinary situations while maintaining their regular functioning. Brazil has been one of the most affected countries during the pandemic. In January 2021, the Amazonas state's health system collapsed, especially in the city of Manaus, where acute Covid-19 patients died due to scarcity of medical supplies for respiratory therapy. METHODS: This paper explores the case of the health system's collapse in Manaus to uncover the elements that prevented the system from performing resiliently to the pandemic, by carrying out a grounded-based systems analysis of the performance of health authorities in Brazil using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method. The major source of information for this study was the reports from the congressional investigation carried out to unveil the Brazilian response to the pandemic. RESULTS: Poor cohesion between the different levels of government disrupted essential functions for managing the pandemic. Moreover, the political agenda interfered in the abilities of the system to monitor, respond, anticipate, and learn, essential aspects of resilient performance. CONCLUSIONS: Through a systems analysis approach, this study describes the implicit strategy of "living with Covid-19", and an in-depth view of the measures that hampered the resilience of the Brazilian health system to the spread of Covid-19.

A framework to assess potential health system resilience using fuzzy logic / Marco para evaluar la resiliencia potencial de un sistema de salud mediante la lógica difusa / Estrutura de avaliação do potencial de resiliência dos sistemas de saúde utilizando a lógica fuzzy

ABSTRACT Objectives. To develop and test a framework to assess the potential of public health systems to maintain a resilient performance. Methods. Quantitative data from public databases and qualitative data from technical reports of Brazilian health authorities were used to develop the framework which was assessed and modified by experts. Fuzzy logic was used for the mathematical model to determine scores for four resilient abilities - monitoring, anticipation, learning, and response - and an aggregated coefficient of resilient potential in health care. The coefficient measures used data from before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These were compared with measures of the actual performance of health systems in 10 cities in Brazil during the pandemic. Results. The coefficient of resilient potential in health care showed that the cities most affected by COVID-19 had lower potential for resilient performance before the pandemic. Some local health systems had adequate response capabilities, but other abilities were not well developed, which adversely affected the management of the spread of COVID-19. Conclusions. The coefficient of resilient potential in health care is useful to indicate important areas for resilient performance and the different types of resilience capacities that can be considered in different contexts and levels of public health systems. Regular assessment of the potential of health systems for resilient performance would help highlight opportunities for continuous improvement in health system functions during chronic stress situations, which could strengthen their ability to keep functioning in the face of sudden disturbances.

RESUMEN Objetivos. Elaborar y examinar un marco para evaluar el potencial de los sistemas de salud pública de mantener un desempeño resiliente. Métodos. Para elaborar el marco, se emplearon datos cuantitativos de bases de datos públicas y datos cualitativos de informes técnicos de las autoridades de salud brasileñas. A continuación, este marco fue evaluado y modificado por expertos. Se utilizó la lógica difusa en el modelo matemático empleado para determinar la puntuación de cuatro capacidades resilientes (seguimiento, anticipación, aprendizaje y respuesta) y un coeficiente agregado de potencial resiliente en la atención médica. Para las medidas del coeficiente se emplearon datos previos a la pandemia de la enfermedad por el coronavirus del 2019 (COVID-19), que se compararon con las medidas del desempeño real de los sistemas de salud en diez ciudades de Brasil durante la pandemia. Resultados. El coeficiente de potencial resiliente en la atención de salud indicó que las ciudades más afectadas por la COVID-19 presentaban un menor potencial de desempeño resiliente antes de la pandemia. En algunos sistemas de salud locales la capacidad de respuesta era adecuada pero otras capacidades no estaban suficientemente desarrolladas, lo que afectó de manera negativa el manejo de la propagación de la COVID-19. Conclusiones. El coeficiente de potencial resiliente en la atención de salud es útil para indicar aspectos importantes del desempeño resiliente y los diferentes tipos de capacidades de resiliencia que pueden considerarse en diferentes contextos y niveles de los sistemas de salud pública. La evaluación periódica del potencial de los sistemas de salud para tener un desempeño resiliente ayudaría a poner de relieve las oportunidades de mejora continua de las funciones del sistema de salud en situaciones de estrés crónico, lo que podría fortalecer su capacidad para seguir funcionando frente a perturbaciones repentinas.

RESUMO Objetivos. Desenvolver e testar uma estrutura de avaliação do potencial dos sistemas de saúde pública de manter um desempenho resiliente. Métodos. Dados quantitativos de bancos de dados públicos e dados qualitativos de relatórios técnicos das autoridades sanitárias brasileiras foram utilizados para desenvolver a estrutura, que foi avaliada e modificada por especialistas. A lógica fuzzy foi utilizada na criação de um modelo matemático para determinar a pontuação em quatro capacidades de resiliência (monitoramento, antecipação, aprendizagem e resposta) e um coeficiente agregado do potencial de resiliência na atenção à saúde. O coeficiente foi calculado utilizando dados anteriores à pandemia da doença provocada pelo coronavírus de 2019 (COVID-19). Esses dados foram comparados com medidas do desempenho real dos sistemas de saúde em 10 cidades brasileiras durante a pandemia. Resultados. O coeficiente de potencial de resiliência na atenção à saúde revelou que as cidades mais afetadas pela COVID-19 tinham menor potencial de desempenho resiliente antes da pandemia. Alguns sistemas de saúde locais tinham capacidades de resposta adequadas, porém as outras capacidades não estavam bem desenvolvidas, o que prejudicou o gerenciamento da propagação da COVID-19. Conclusões. O coeficiente de potencial de resiliência na atenção à saúde é útil para indicar áreas importantes para um desempenho resiliente e os vários tipos de capacidade de resiliência que podem ser considerados em diferentes contextos e níveis dos sistemas de saúde pública. Uma avaliação periódica do potencial de desempenho resiliente dos sistemas de saúde ajudaria a assinalar oportunidades para melhorias contínuas das funções desses sistemas durante situações de estresse crônico, o que poderia aumentar sua capacidade de continuar funcionando diante de perturbações repentinas.

Complex systems design based on actual system functioning: Coping with variability in a national water ambulances service.

BACKGROUND: In Brazil, the Mobile Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) is a model of mobile assistance and care for emergencies standardized throughout the country. The water ambulance service within the SAMU operates in riverside and coastal areas, and faces challenges and peculiarities that increase the complexity of providing a high-quality and safe emergency care service. OBJECTIVE: To develop organizational design guidelines aiming to improve resilient performance of complex systems, with an application to riverine and coastal mobile emergency care in Brazil. METHODS: Data collection followed an ethnographic approach. Fieldwork was carried in a participatory way, based on worksite technical description, semi-structured interviews with managers and emergency care teams' professionals, and work observation whenever possible. Five regional SAMU coordinations were visited. Data coding employed content analysis and grouped data excerpts according to concepts of capacity and demand. Interfaces were identified between demand and capacity elements and adaptations led by system agents, orienting the proposal of guidelines for organizational design as solutions to face the verified gaps. RESULTS: Design guidelines produced spanned composition and training of both intervention teams and dispatch central teams, uniforms and personal protective equipment (PPE), decentralized water bases, means of communication, intervention protocols, biosafety and inter-sector actions. CONCLUSION: The approach enabled framing and assessment of specific design elements according to resilience engineering concepts, which in turn showed paths for improving the service and reconciling work-as-imagined and actual system functioning.

Community health workers' non-technical skills for delivering primary healthcare in low-income areas.

BACKGROUND: To overcome the poor conditions of low-income areas in developing countries like Brazil, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are required to exceed the regular set of formal skills they are used to employ. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aim at identifying the non-technical skills CHWs must develop to cope with the extraordinary situations that occur in vulnerable communities. METHODS: 41 CHWs based in two primary healthcare clinics in Brazil underwent two rounds of in-depth interviews. The analysis was carried out using the Analytical Hierarchy Process, resulting in the prioritization of social skills according to their calculated importance to house calls. RESULTS: Among the ten higher-scored skills, we find communication and advocacy skills being of high importance. Civility was found to be the most important attribute, confirming that community action relies strongly on the relationship between health professionals and the community. CONCLUSION: The results of our study contribute primarily to the improvement of community-based primary care programs as it helps to identify major skills required for community action.

On the brink of disruption: Applying Resilience Engineering to anticipate system performance under crisis.

As COVID-19 spread across Brazil, it quickly reached remote regions including Amazon's ultra-peripheral locations where patient transportation through rivers is added to the list of obstacles to overcome. This article analyses the pandemic's effects in the access of riverine communities to the prehospital emergency healthcare system in the Brazilian Upper Amazon River region. To do so, we present two studies that by using a Resilience Engineering approach aimed to predict the functioning of the Brazilian Mobile Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) for riverside and coastal areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the normal system functioning. Study I, carried out before the pandemic, applied ethnographic methods for data collection and the Functional Resonance Analysis Method - FRAM for data analysis in order to develop a model of the mobile emergency care in the region during typical conditions of operation. Study II then estimated how changes in variability dynamics would alter system functioning during the pandemic, arriving at three trends that could lead the service to collapse. Finally, the accuracy of predictions is discussed after the pandemic first peaked in the region. Findings reveal that relatively small changes in variability dynamics can deliver strong implications to operating care and safety of expeditions aboard water ambulances. Also, important elements that add to the resilient capabilities of the system are extra-organizational, and thus during the pandemic safety became jeopardized as informal support networks grew fragile. Using FRAM for modelling regular operation enabled prospective scenario analysis that accurately predicted disruptions in providing emergency care to riverine population.

Unveiling conflicting strategies in the Brazilian response to COVID-19: A cross-sectional study using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method.

By the time the present study was completed, Brazil had been the second epicenter of COVID-19. In addition, the actions taken to respond to the pandemic in Brazil were the subject of extensive debate, since some diverged from recommendations from health authorities and scientists. Since then, the resulting political and social turmoil showed conflicting strategies to tackle the pandemic in Brazil, with visible consequences in the numbers of casualties, but also with effects on the resilience of the overall health system. Thus, this article explores the actions taken in Brazil to cope with the pandemic from a systems analysis perspective. The structure of the domain was analyzed using Work Domain Analysis, and the activated functions were analyzed using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method, identifying the variability resulting from the conflicting strategies carried out and the consequences to the capacity of the Brazilian health system to respond resiliently to the pandemic. Results of the study show that functions that overlapped the operation of the overall system were introduced, causing the health system to operate under conflicting objectives, in which functions were created to restrict the outcomes of each other during the entire COVID-19 crisis.

Resiliência em saúde pública: preceitos, conceitos, desafios e perspectivas / Resilience in public health: precepts, concepts, challenges, and perspectives

RESUMO Em sistemas de saúde, a resiliência se manifesta na capacidade de se adaptar às demandas ou aos eventos adversos e disruptivos, como epidemias e/ou desastres, ajustando o seu funcionamento a situações de estresse, antes, durante ou depois dessas perturbações excepcionais, enquanto mantém o funcionamento e a qualidade da assistência, preservando, assim, as suas atividades e propriedades regulares. Neste ensaio, apresentam-se alguns conceitos sobre a resiliência em sistemas complexos e exemplos de suas aplicações em sistemas e organizações de saúde, envolvendo a resiliência dos indivíduos, equipes e organizações. Destacam-se também desafios e perspectivas para o desempenho resiliente do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), que ganhou enorme atenção na pandemia da Covid-19. Conclui-se ressaltando a necessidade de mais pesquisas sobre diversos temas envolvendo a resiliência em saúde para fortalecer a capacidade do SUS para enfrentar os desafios cotidianos e futuras crises sanitárias.

ABSTRACT In a health system, resilience is manifested in the ability to adapt to demands or to adverse and disruptive events, such as epidemics and/or disasters, adjusting its functioning to stressful situations, before, during or after these exceptional disturbances, while maintaining the functioning and quality of assistance, thus preserving its regular activities and properties. In this essay, we present some concepts about resilience in complex systems and their applications in health systems and organizations, involving the resilience of individuals, teams, and organizations. Challenges and perspectives for improving the resilient behavior of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) are also highlighted, a topic that has gained enormous attention in the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude by emphasizing the need for more research on the various topics involving resilience in healthcare to strengthen the capacity of the SUS to cope with both daily challenges and future health crises.

A avaliação de desempenho da atenção primária: balanço e perspectiva para o programa Previne Brasil / Performance assessment of Primary Health Care: balance and perspective for the 'Previne Brasil' Program

RESUMO Este artigo descreve e analisa a resposta dos governos municipais à diretriz do pagamento por desempenho na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) no programa Previne Brasil (PB) no triênio 2020-2022. Ao instituir o PB em 2019, o Ministério da Saúde (MS) encaminhou a ruptura com o modelo de financiamento da APS, que era baseado na transferência per capita linear para os municípios e o Distrito Federal. Pela nova política, as transferências financeiras do MS decorreriam da análise dos resultados de sete indicadores de desempenho das equipes de saúde informados no Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde. O artigo avalia a resposta dos governos subnacionais nos indicadores definidos pelo PB, utilizando os dados do Sistema de Informação em Saúde para a Atenção Básica do MS. Os municípios demonstraram baixa efetividade em relação aos compromissos de desempenho propostos pela pactuação na Comissão Intergestores Tripartite do PB no triênio investigado. De modo geral, os resultados de cobertura pactuados no PB são excepcionalmente baixos e especialmente indicativos de risco de epidemia por falha nas ações de vacinação. As decisões de implantação do pagamento por desempenho foram reiteradamente postergadas pelo MS, favorecendo a desmobilização dos governos municipais no desenvolvimento das ações de APS.

ABSTRACT This article describes and analyzes the response of municipal governments to the payment-for-performance guideline in Primary Health Care (PHC) in the 'Previne Brasil' (PB) program in the 2020-2022 period. By establishing the PB in 2019, the Ministry of Health (MS) broke with the PHC financing model, which was based on linear per capita transfer to municipalities and the Federal District. Under the new policy, financial transfers from the MS would result from the analysis of the results of seven performance indicators of health teams reported in the National Register of Health Establishments. The article evaluates the response of subnational governments to the indicators defined by the PB, using data from the Health Information System for Primary Care of the Ministry of Health. The municipalities showed low effectiveness in relation to the performance commitments proposed by the tripartite agreement of the PB in the three-year period investigated. In general, the coverage results agreed in PB are exceptionally low and especially indicative of the risk of an epidemic due to failure in vaccination actions. Decisions to implement payment for performance were repeatedly postponed by the MS, favoring the demobilization of municipal governments in the development of PHC actions.

Shifting the management model of Brazilian health services: perceptions of major stakeholders on the participation of the private sector in public hospital administration.

In Brazil, public hospitals are managed according to several different models. The participation of private or third-sector organizations has been growing in a significant manner, especially in the past decade. The present study explores the perception of public administrators and health councilors on the main aspects of outsourcing the management of public health services to the private sector. The study shows that the main disadvantages are related to the reduction of the State's role as regulator, making it more difficult to size services up according to the demands of the population. Among the main advantages pointed out are contributions to reduce bureaucracy in the administration and more freedom for the management of physical, financial, and human resources. The present study contributes to transcend the political-ideological discussion on private sector participation in the management of public and universal constitutionally guaranteed services, presenting the point of view of administrators in Brazil, not very explored in recent literature.

The institutional capacity of the Health Sector and the response to COVID-19 in a global perspective. / A capacidade institucional do Setor Saúde e a resposta à COVID-19 em perspectiva global.

This study approaches the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) according to the responses to the first cycle of the COVID-19. The GHSI ranks countries' institutional capacity to address biological risks. We analyzed data regarding the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in 50 countries to assess the ability of GHSI to anticipate health risks. The lack of vaccination determined the spread of the COVID-19 in the first cycle of the pandemic in 2020. Country indicators are correlated and demonstrated by descriptive statistics. The clustering method groups countries by similar age composition. The main restriction that can be attributed to the GHSI concerns the preference of biomedical variables for measuring institutional capacity. Our work shows that the pandemic had a significant impact on better-prepared countries, according to the GHSI, to control the spread of diseases and offer more access to health care in 2020. This paper points out that the health sector depended on the cooperation of governments in the adoption of social distancing during the first cycle of the pandemic. The GHSI failed to consider the role of political leaders who challenge severe health risks by vetoing social distancing.

O artigo analisa o Índice da Segurança Sanitária Global (ISSG) à luz das respostas nacionais ao primeiro ciclo da pandemia da COVID-19. O ISSG classifica a capacidade dos países no enfrentamento dos riscos biológicos graves. O artigo examina os dados da pandemia de 50 países para avaliar o poder preditivo do ISSG. A ausência da vacinação determinou difusão da COVID-19 no primeiro ciclo da pandemia em 2020. Os indicadores dos países são correlacionados e demonstrados por estatística descritiva. A metodologia de aglomeração por clusters agrupa os países segundo a similaridade da composição etária. A principal restrição que pode ser atribuída ao ISSG diz respeito ao privilegiamento das variáveis biomédicas para a mensuração da capacidade institucional. O artigo evidencia que, paradoxalmente, o primeiro ciclo da pandemia teve um impacto significativo nos países teoricamente mais preparados, segundo o ISSG, para controlar a disseminação de doenças e oferecer mais acesso à assistência à saúde. O artigo assinala que durante o primeiro ciclo da pandemia, o setor saúde dependeu da cooperação dos governos na adoção do distanciamento social. O ISSG não considerou o papel das lideranças políticas que desafiam o risco sanitário severo por veto às medidas de distanciamento social.

A capacidade institucional do Setor Saúde e a resposta à COVID-19 em perspectiva global / The institutional capacity of the Health Sector and the response to COVID-19 in a global perspective

Resumo O artigo analisa o Índice da Segurança Sanitária Global (ISSG) à luz das respostas nacionais ao primeiro ciclo da pandemia da COVID-19. O ISSG classifica a capacidade dos países no enfrentamento dos riscos biológicos graves. O artigo examina os dados da pandemia de 50 países para avaliar o poder preditivo do ISSG. A ausência da vacinação determinou difusão da COVID-19 no primeiro ciclo da pandemia em 2020. Os indicadores dos países são correlacionados e demonstrados por estatística descritiva. A metodologia de aglomeração por clusters agrupa os países segundo a similaridade da composição etária. A principal restrição que pode ser atribuída ao ISSG diz respeito ao privilegiamento das variáveis biomédicas para a mensuração da capacidade institucional. O artigo evidencia que, paradoxalmente, o primeiro ciclo da pandemia teve um impacto significativo nos países teoricamente mais preparados, segundo o ISSG, para controlar a disseminação de doenças e oferecer mais acesso à assistência à saúde. O artigo assinala que durante o primeiro ciclo da pandemia, o setor saúde dependeu da cooperação dos governos na adoção do distanciamento social. O ISSG não considerou o papel das lideranças políticas que desafiam o risco sanitário severo por veto às medidas de distanciamento social.

Abstract This study approaches the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) according to the responses to the first cycle of the COVID-19. The GHSI ranks countries' institutional capacity to address biological risks. We analyzed data regarding the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in 50 countries to assess the ability of GHSI to anticipate health risks. The lack of vaccination determined the spread of the COVID-19 in the first cycle of the pandemic in 2020. Country indicators are correlated and demonstrated by descriptive statistics. The clustering method groups countries by similar age composition. The main restriction that can be attributed to the GHSI concerns the preference of biomedical variables for measuring institutional capacity. Our work shows that the pandemic had a significant impact on better-prepared countries, according to the GHSI, to control the spread of diseases and offer more access to health care in 2020. This paper points out that the health sector depended on the cooperation of governments in the adoption of social distancing during the first cycle of the pandemic. The GHSI failed to consider the role of political leaders who challenge severe health risks by vetoing social distancing.

Community health workers' attitudes, practices and perceptions towards the COVID-19 pandemic in brazilian low-income communities.

BACKGROUND: Community Health Workers (CHW) are a category of social workers described in many countries' health systems as responsible for engaging people in their residences and communities, and other non-clinical spaces to enable access to health services, especially in low-income areas. These professionals have been exposed to numerous new risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study describes how the COVID-19 pandemic is perceived by CHWs who work in poor communities or slums in Brazil. METHODS: We conducted an online survey with a random sample of 775 CHWs operating in 368 municipalities of the 26 Brazilian states. At a confidence level of 95%, results of the survey were subject to a maximum sampling error of 4%. RESULTS: Our data indicate that the negationist agenda increases the challenges to the performance of CHWs within low-income communities, preventing the consensus on the necessity of social distancing, business closures and other measures to face the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The pandemic imposes unexpected challenges on the usual modes of interaction of public health officers with poor communities. This study provides evidence that these challenges have been ignored or minimized in Brazilian policy prescriptions for primary care in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.