Innovative shortcuts and initiatives in primary health care for rural/remote localities: a scoping review on how to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as one of the greatest challenges to societies, world health systems and science in the past century, making it imperative to restructure care networks. Therefore, it is essential to discuss the role and initiatives of primary health care (PHC) to deal with it. However, regarding the response to the pandemic, including the current global effort against COVID-19, the nuances of the rural/remote PHC context in the pandemic is barely visible. Rural and remote communities have differentiated health risks, such as socioeconomic disadvantages, difficulties in mobility and access to health services, in addition to linguistic and cultural barriers. This scoping review aimed to analyze the set of individual and collective initiatives and innovations developed to face the COVID-19 pandemic, within the PHC scope, in rural and remote areas. METHODS: A scoping review methodology was applied to peer-reviewed articles. Eight databases were searched to identify scientific articles published in English, Spanish and Portuguese, initially from January 2020 to July 2021, complemented by a rapid review of articles published from January 2022 to April 2023. The main focus sought in the literature was the set of initiatives and innovations carried out within the PHC scope in rural and remote locations during the pandemic, as well as the comparison with pre-pandemic situations and between different countries. The bibliographic information of each search result was imported into Rayyan (Intelligent Systematic Review), followed by the screening and eligibility stages, performed independently by two reviewers, with a third reviewer being accessed in case of conflicts. RESULTS: This review included 54 studies, with publications mostly from Australia, Canada, the US and India. The main PHC initiatives were related to access; to the roles of community health workers and health surveillance; and to the importance of placing, retaining and valuing human resources in health. Cultural, equity and vulnerability issues occupy a major place among the initiatives. Regarding the innovations, telehealth and customized communication are highlighted. From an organizational point of view, rural and remote locations showed enormous flexibility to deal with the pandemic and to improve intersectoral activities at the local level. The description of rurality and remoteness is practically coincident with that of the specific populations, present in geographic areas of difficult sociospatial and cultural access. Rarely, there is an index to measure rurality, or its description deals with the need to overcome distances and obstacles. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight and summarize knowledge about initiatives and innovations developed to face the COVID-19 pandemic, within the PHC scope in rural and remote areas in the world. This review has identified collective, clinical, intersectoral and, mainly, organizational health initiatives. An articulation between different government levels would be paramount in evaluating the implementation of policies and protocols in rural and remote locations for future sanitary crises. Innovations and lessons learned are equally relevant in strengthening health services and systems. This issue calls for considerable further exploration by new reviews and empirical research that seek evidence to assess the sustainability and effectiveness of the implemented measures to face post-pandemic difficulties and other adversities.

Primary health care in the Amazon and its potential impact on health inequities: a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Health studies of the Amazon often focus on diseases and infections prevalent in the region, and few studies address health organizations and services. In this sense, this study fills a gap by reviewing the studies aimed at primary healthcare (PHC) implementation in the nine Amazonian countries. This review addresses a need to explore the forms in which PHC is implemented in the Amazon areas outside the urban centers and its potential to reduce health inequities. This study contributes to improvements in the practices of managers and health professionals and research on the topic. METHODS: Scoping review methodology was applied to peer-reviewed articles. The databases searched were PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Embase and Web of Science. Selected studies included peer-reviewed publications, published between January 2000 and November 2019, that focused on PHC or one of its components in the Amazon, and were published in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The study used Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review guidelines, supported by Levac, and included five steps: (i) identification phase, where search queries were applied to the databases followed by the removal of duplicates; (ii) screening phase, where titles and abstracts of articles were screened to exclude irrelevant articles; (iii) eligibility phase, where the full texts of articles were read to assess their relevancy to this study; (iv) data extraction, using a spreadsheet designed to capture relevant information required in this review, using an iterative process; (v) summarizing and classification of each article according to content. The second and third phases were conducted independently by two reviewers. If a disagreement arose between the reviewers, a third reviewer was consulted to help decide whether to include or exclude a study. RESULTS: This review included 25 studies. Of these, 11 presented promising results regarding PHC functioning in the Amazon region, and 14 presented challenges and difficulties in its functioning. Some PHC strategies implemented in the Amazon showed the potential to reduce inequities, mostly when they involved actions that increased access to PHC in the region when they developed a culturally adapted role and engaged community members in the decision-making and in the collaborative construction of health services. Actions that exposed challenges and difficulties were related to ill-prepared healthcare professionals, inadequate service approach and the inability to adapt to cultural issues. CONCLUSION: The findings reveal information about PHC implementations that have had promising results in the Amazon region and, at the same time, show the challenges and difficulties of the PHC actions. The findings also highlight and synthesize knowledge about the potential that PHC strategies have to affect existing inequities in the Amazon region and gaps in the studies that have been undertaken, or at least published, including a lack of studies of PHC implementation and examination of strategies aimed at health determinants.

The workforce for rehabilitation in primary health care in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the workforce in rehabilitation in primary health care services are still unusual in health systems analysis. Data on the health worker density at the subnational level in rehabilitation in primary health care are not commonly observed in most health systems. Nevertheless, these data are core for the system's planning and essential for finding the balance between the composition, distribution, and number of workers for rehabilitation actions. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the temporal space distribution of health professionals with higher education who performed rehabilitation actions in primary health care in Brazil from 2007 to 2020. METHOD: This is an ecological, time-series study on the supply of physiotherapists, audiologists, psychologists, and occupational therapists in primary health care, vis-a-vis the implementation of the Brazilian health policy denominated the Integrated Health Service Network for People with Disabilities. The data were obtained from the National Registry of Health Facilities. The period of analysis was from 2007 to 2020. The health worker density coefficient was calculated per 10,000 inhabitants annually, considering the five geographic regions of Brazil. The time trends of the coefficient of health professionals per year in Brazil and geographic regions were analyzed. For this purpose, joinpoint regression analysis was carried out. The average annual percentage variation was estimated, considering the respective confidence interval of 95%. RESULTS: In 2007, there were 0.12 physiotherapists/10,000 inhabitants (2326), 0.05 audiologists/10,000 inhabitants (1024), and 0.205 psychologists/10,000 inhabitants (3762). In 2020, there was an increase in the coefficient of professionals/10,000 inhabitants in all professional categories to 0.47 psychologists (> 268.1%), 0.46 physiotherapists (> 424.8%), 0.14 audiologists (> 297.1%), and 0.04 occupational therapists (> 504.5%). There was a significant increase in the supply of physiotherapists (AAPC: 10.8), audiologists (AAPC: 7.6), psychologists (AAPC: 6.8), and occupational therapists (AAPC: 28.3), with little regional variation. CONCLUSION: Public health policies for rehabilitation have contributed to an increase in the workforce caring for people with disabilities in primary health care services. An increase in the workforce of physiotherapists, audiologists, psychologists, and occupational therapists was observed throughout the period studied in all regions.

From income inequality to social inequity: impact on health levels in an international efficiency comparison panel.

BACKGROUND: Health equity, although addressed in several publications dealing with health efficiency analysis, is not easily translated into the operationalization of variables, mainly due to technical difficulties. Some studies provide evidence that it does not influence health outcomes; others demonstrate that its effect is an indirect one, with the hegemony of material living conditions over its social connotation. The aim of this article is to evaluate the role of health equity in determining health outcomes, in an international comparative analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of health systems. METHOD: Fixed Effects Model Panel and Data Envelopment Analysis, a dynamic and network model, in addition to comparative analysis between methods and health impacts. The effect variables considered in the study were life expectancy at birth and infant mortality, in 2010 and 2015, according to the sociocultural regions of the selected countries. Inequity was assessed both economically and socially. The following dimensions were considered: physical and financial resources, health production (access, coverage and prevention) and intersectoral variables: demographic, socioeconomic, governance and health risks. RESULTS: Both methods demonstrated that countries with higher inequity levels (regarding income, education and health dimensions), associated or not with poverty, are the least efficient, not reaching the potential for effective health outcomes. The outcome life expectancy at birth exhibited, in the final model, the following variables: social inequity and per capita health expenditure. The outcome infant mortality comprehended the level of education variable, in association with the following healthcare variabels: care seeking due to diarrhea in children under five, births attended by skilled health professionals and the reduction in the incidence of HIV. CONCLUSION: The dissociation between the distribution of health outcomes and the overall level of health of the population characterizes a devastating political choice for society, as it is associated with high levels of segregation, disrespect and violence from within. Countries should prioritize health equity, adding value to its resources, since health inequties affect society altogether, generating mistrust and reduced social cohesion.

Provision of specialized care in remote rural municipalities of the Brazilian semi-arid region.

INTRODUCTION: Specialized care barriers are widespread and multifactorial, with consequences for timely access, health outcomes, and equity, especially in rural contexts. This article aims to identify and analyze arrangements for providing specialized care in the Brazilian remote rural municipalities (RRMs). METHODS: This is a multiple-case qualitative case study developed in seven RRMs located in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with the public health system managers, complemented by analysis of secondary data from national health information systems. Thematic content analysis was guided by the Integrated Health Service Network attributes related to the provision of specialized care. RESULTS: Socioeconomic indicators and indicators of availability and accessibility to health services express the context of greater vulnerability of RRM and their respective health regions when compared to states and the country. The analyzed cases do not come close to the RISS constitutive attributes. Various arrangements for the provision and financing of specialized care in the RRM were identified: public provision through an agreement between managers in the health region, health consortia, public provision in the municipality itself or neighboring municipalities, provision in private health services through direct purchase (out-of-pocket), and telehealth (very incipient). Such arrangements were unable to respond quantitatively and qualitatively to the demand for specialized care. Providing timely specialized care in an adequate place is not achieved, resulting in a fragmented, low-resolution model. The fragility of regionalized networks, aggravated by underfunding of the Brazilian Unified Health System, insufficient logistical support, and computerization of health services, contributes to care gaps and unacceptably long travel times for common specialized procedures, with more severe effects for people residing in the rural areas of the municipalities. CONCLUSION: Brazil's disorganization or lack of a systemic response based on regionalized health networks generates several care improvisations. The less structured the RISS, the more informal arrangements are made, with gains for the private sector to the detriment of public health system users.

A global scoping review of adaptations in nurturing care interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, children faced a disproportionate burden of malnutrition and poor health outcomes. Nurturing care interventions (NCIs) including actions toward good health, adequate nutrition, responsive care, opportunities for early learning, and security and safety are critical for promoting equity. Due to the need for evidence-based responses and preparedness, we analyzed adaptations in NCIs' implementation strategies during COVID-19 according to the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS). Method: We conducted a global scoping review including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed literature. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Scopus, BVS, Scielo, and Web of Science. This search was complemented by an extensive examination of relevant websites and an additional internet search via Google Scholar. We extracted and analyzed the data following the seven modules of the FRAME-IS. Results: Out of 20 records, 27 NCI were identified across Africa (n = 3), Asia (n = 7), Europe (n = 3), North America (n = 11), Oceania (n = 1), and South America (n = 2). NCIs adapted their content (e.g., adding elements), evaluation (e.g., conducting needs assessment), training (e.g., using experts), and context (e.g., setting-shifting from in-person to remote, and population-expanding interventions' reach). Adaptation goals were to increase acceptability (n = 9, 32.1%), adoption (n = 5, 17.8%), appropriateness (n = 10, 35.7%), feasibility (n = 25, 89.3%), penetration (n = 15, 53.6%), sustainability (n = 23, 82.1%), and fidelity (n = 1, 3.7%). The rationale to adapt varied from sociopolitical (n = 6, 21.4%), organizational (n = 13, 46.4%), implementer (n = 11, 39.3%), practitioner (n = 15, 53.6%), and recipient (n = 11, 39.3%). A quarter were reactive planned adaptations and 75.0% were unplanned modifications. Decisions were led by program leaders (n = 21, 75.0%), funders (n = 9, 32.1%), partners (n = 3, 10.7%), researchers (n = 1, 3.6%), and practitioners (n = 3, 10.7%). Adaptations were widespread from unit (e.g., hospital) (n = 1, 3.6%), organization (n = 4, 14.3%), and community system (e.g., countrywide) (n = 14, 50.0%). Conclusion: The results from our global scoping review show that it is possible for NCIs to continue and even improve their delivery despite the global crisis, suggesting that remote delivery is feasible and can work as an alternative when in lockdown. Strategic planning taking advantage of existing structures and partnerships may have allowed NCI adaptations to be sustainable as well as facilitated replication within the organization network system.

Perspectives for Primary Health Care public policy in South America. / Perspectivas para las políticas públicas de Atención Primaria en Salud en Suramérica.

We aim to conduct a comparative analysis of the implementation of PHC in nine South American countries. Three dimensions were highlighted from documentary sources: political commitment, leadership, and governance; care model; and engagement of communities and other stakeholders. The results indicate a formal commitment that places PHC at the center of efforts to achieve universal access. The following can be observed: revitalization processes in public subsystems, based on guaranteeing preventive, promotional, curative and rehabilitation actions; PHC as gatekeeper; emphasis on family and community; assigned population and territory; multidisciplinary teams; and, in some cases, the accent on interculturality expressed in the concept of "buen vivir" (good living). The PHC revitalization processes were affected by political changes. Between progress and setbacks, the segmentation of coverage was not overcome. The current moment seeks to recover more inclusive and broad public policies in the context of the return of the progressive and democratic fields. The dissemination of country experiences can contribute to the development of a comprehensive, integrated, and quality approach to PHC in the Region.

El objetivo es realizar un análisis comparativo de la implementación de la APS en nueve países de Suramérica. A partir de fuentes documentales fueron destacadas tres dimensiones: compromiso político, liderazgo y gobernanza; modelo de atención; involucramiento de comunidades y otros actores. Los resultados indican la existencia de compromiso formal que localiza la APS en el centro de los esfuerzos para lograr el acceso universal. Se observan procesos de revitalización en los subsistemas públicos, basados en la garantía de acciones preventivas, promocionales, de cura y rehabilitación; puerta de entrada; enfoque familiar y comunitario; población y territorio adscriptos; equipos multiprofesionales, y, en algunos casos, énfasis en la interculturalidad expresada en la concepción de "buen vivir". Los procesos de revitalización de la APS fueron afectados por cambios políticos. Entre avances y retrocesos, no se logró superar la segmentación de cobertura. El momento actual es de rescate de políticas públicas más inclusivas y amplias, en el contexto de recomposición de los campos progresistas y democráticos. Difundir experiencias de los países puede contribuir para el desarrollo de un enfoque de APS integral, integrada y de calidad en la Región.

[Organization of local healthcare systems in remote rural Brazilian municipalities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Organização dos sistemas locais de saúde em municípios rurais remotos brasileiros no enfrentamento da pandemia de COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, populations living further away from urban centers faced immense difficulties accessing health services. This study aims to analyze how Brazilian remote rural municipalities faced the COVID-19 pandemic based on their political, structural, and organizational response to access to healthcare. A qualitative study of multiple cases was conducted with thematic and deductive content analysis of 51 interviews conducted with managers and healthcare professionals in 16 remote rural municipalities in the states of Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Piauí, Minas Gerais, and Amazonas. With their socio-spatial dynamics and long distances to reference centers, the remote rural municipalities responded to the demands of the pandemic but did not have their needs met promptly. They preserved communication with the population, reorganized the local system centered on primary health care (PHC), and changed the functioning of healthcare units, exceeding the limits of their responsibilities to provide the necessary care and awaiting referral to other levels of complexity. They faced a shortage of services, gaps in assistance in the regional network, and inadequate healthcare transport. The pandemic reiterated PHC's difficulties in coordinating care, exposing care gaps in reference regions. The equitable and resolute provision of the local health system in the remote rural municipalities implies inter-federative articulation in formulating and implementing public policies to ensure the right to health.

Na pandemia de COVID-19, as populações que vivem mais afastadas dos centros urbanos enfrentaram imensas dificuldades no acesso aos serviços de saúde. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar como os municípios rurais remotos brasileiros enfrentaram a pandemia de COVID-19, tendo como base sua resposta política, estrutural e organizativa ao acesso à saúde. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo de casos múltiplos com a análise de conteúdo temática e dedutiva de 51 entrevistas conduzidas com gestores e profissionais de saúde em 16 municípios rurais remotos dos estados de Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Piauí, Minas Gerais e Amazonas. Com dinâmicas socioespaciais próprias, grandes distâncias até os centros de referência, os municípios rurais remotos responderam às demandas da pandemia, mas não tiveram suas necessidades atendidas oportunamente. Preservaram a comunicação com a população, reorganizaram o sistema local centrado na atenção primária à saúde (APS), alteraram o funcionamento das unidades de saúde, ultrapassando os limites de suas atribuições para prestar o cuidado necessário e aguardar o encaminhamento aos demais níveis de complexidade. Enfrentaram a escassez de serviços, as lacunas assistenciais da rede regional e o transporte sanitário inadequado. A pandemia reiterou as dificuldades da APS em coordenar o cuidado e expôs os vazios assistenciais nas regiões de referência. A provisão equitativa e resolutiva do sistema local de saúde nos municípios rurais remotos implica na articulação interfederativa à formulação e implementação de políticas públicas de modo a assegurar o direito à saúde.

En la pandemia de COVID-19, las poblaciones que viven más alejadas de los centros urbanos enfrentaron inmensas dificultades para acceder a los servicios de salud. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar cómo los municipios rurales remotos de Brasil enfrentaron la pandemia de COVID-19, a partir de su respuesta política, estructural y organizativa al acceso a la salud. Se realizó el estudio cualitativo de casos múltiple con el análisis de contenido temático y deductivo de 51 entrevistas realizadas con gestores y profesionales de la salud en 16 municipios rurales remotos de los estados de Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Piauí, Minas Gerais y Amazonas. Con dinámicas socioespaciales propias y alejados de los centros de referencia, los municipios rurales remotos respondieron a las demandas de la pandemia, pero no se atendieron sus necesidades de manera oportuna. Preservaron la comunicación con la población, reorganizaron el sistema local centrado en la atención primaria de salud (APS), modificaron el funcionamiento de las unidades de salud, superando los límites de sus atribuciones para proporcionar la atención necesaria, y esperar la derivación a los demás niveles de complejidad. Enfrentaron la falta de servicios, las lagunas asistenciales de la red regional y el transporte sanitario inadecuado. La pandemia reafirmó las dificultades de la APS para coordinar la atención y expuso las lagunas asistenciales en las regiones de referencia. La provisión equitativa y resolutiva del sistema de salud local en los municipios rurales remotos implica en la articulación interfederativa para elaborar e implementar políticas públicas para asegurar el derecho a la salud.

The rehabilitation workforce in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The surge in individuals facing functional impairments has heightened the demand for rehabilitation services. Understanding the distribution of the rehabilitation workforce is pivotal for effective health system planning to address the population's health needs. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the spatial and temporal dispersion of physical therapists, speech therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists across various tiers of care within Brazil's Unified Health System and its regions. METHOD: This is an ecological time series study on the supply of rehabilitation professionals. Data were obtained from the National Register of Health Establishments from 2007 to 2020. The density of professionals was calculated per 10,000 inhabitants annually for Brazil and its five regions. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the temporal trends of the density of professionals, considering a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: In 2020, the most notable concentrations of psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists in Brazil were observed in the domain of Specialized Health Care, with densities of 0.60, 0.20, and 0.16 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants, respectively. Conversely, the highest density of physical therapists was found within Hospital Health Care, with a density of 1.19 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants. Notably, variations in professional dispersion across different regions were apparent. Primary Health Care exhibited the highest density of professionals in the Northeast region, while the Southern region accounted for the highest densities in all professional categories within Specialized Health Care. The southeast region exhibited the largest workforce within Hospital Health Care. A marked upsurge in professional availability was noted across all categories, notably in the occupational therapy sector within hospital care (AAPC: 30.8), despite its initial low density. CONCLUSION: The implementation of public health policies played a significant role in the expansion of the rehabilitation workforce at all three levels of care in Brazil and its various regions from 2007 to 2020. Consequently, regional disparities and densities of professionals have emerged, mirroring patterns observed in low-income countries.

Challenges to implementing planning processes in Brazilian health regions.

OBJECTIVE: To recognize elements that facilitated or hindered the PlanificaSUS implementation stages. METHODS: A multiple case study was carried out in four pre-selected health regions in Brazil-Belo Jardim (PE), Fronteira Oeste (RS), Sul-Mato-Grossense (MT) and Valença (BA) using systemic arterial hypertension and maternal and child care as tracer conditions. Participant observation (in regional interagency commissions) and in-depth interviews with key informants from state and municipal management and primary health care and specialized outpatient care service professionals within the project were carried out in these four regions. Analysis was built according to political, technical-operational, and contextual dimensions. RESULTS: The political dimension evinced that the regions found the project an opportunity to articulate states and municipalities and an important political bet to build networks and lines of care but that there remained much to be faced in the disputes related to building the Unified Health System (SUS). In the technical operational dimension, it is important to consider that primary health care stimulated a culture of local planning and favored traditional tools to organize and improve it, such as organizing registrations, agendas, and demands. However, centralized training and planning-inducing processes fail to always respond to local needs and can produce barriers to implementation. CONCLUSIONS: It is worth considering the central and regional role of state managers in the commitment related to the project and the effect of mobilizing primary health care and expanding its power. There remains much to be faced in the disputes at stake in bullring SUS.

Doctors' Work in Primary Health Care in remote rural municipalities: where is the territory? / Atuação dos médicos na Atenção Primária à Saúde em municípios rurais remotos: onde está o território?

Resolute and comprehensive health care in remote rural municipalities (RRMs) requires Primary Health Care (PHC) with a strong community dimension anchored in the territory. This paper aims to analyze the performance profile of doctors in PHC, considering their work both in the territory and in PHC units. The perspective of doctors, critical agents in PHC, contributes to understanding whether there is an equitable and comprehensive availability of PHC. A qualitative study was carried out in 27 RRMs, with interviews with 46 Family Health doctors. Content analysis, structuring results in dimensions of arrangements in the performance of doctors in the territories and the organization of activities at the PHC units. Doctors concentrated their activities in the PHC units, primarily in municipal headquarters, with heterogeneous work agreements. Knowledge about the characteristics of the territory and the population was weak, especially those assigned at a considerable distance from municipal headquarters. In the rare work conducted within the territory, an itinerant and/or campaigning model was observed, with the mark of discontinuity. Walk-in patients were prioritized over care actions of follow-up and planning. The findings indicate the need to reinforce interaction with the territory in the provision of PHC services in RRMs.

Uma atenção à saúde resolutiva e integral em municípios rurais remotos (MRR) cobra uma Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) com forte dimensão comunitária, ancorada no território. O artigo visa analisar o perfil de atuação dos médicos na APS, considerando seu trabalho tanto no território quanto na unidade básica de saúde (UBS). A perspectiva dos médicos, agentes críticos na APS, contribui para compreender se ocorre oferta equânime e integral da APS. Foi realizado estudo qualitativo em 27 MRR, com entrevista a 46 médicos da Saúde da Família. Análise de conteúdo, estruturando-se os resultados nas dimensões de arranjos na atuação dos médicos nos territórios e organização das atividades na UBS. Os médicos centravam suas atividades nas UBS, principalmente nas sedes dos MRR com acordos de trabalho heterogêneos. O conhecimento sobre características do território e da população era frágil, sobretudo aqueles adscritos longe das sedes municipais. Nas raras ações no território, observou-se um modelo itinerante e/ou campanhista, com a marca da descontinuidade. A demanda espontânea foi priorizada em detrimento de ações de acompanhamento e planejamento do cuidado. Os achados indicam a necessidade de se reforçar a interação com o território na oferta de serviços de APS em MRR.

Specialized Rehabilitation Centers (CER) in the SUS and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the functioning of Specialized Rehabilitation Centers (CER) in the SUS. METHODS: An analysis of the variation in outpatient production of the CER was carried out based on data from the Outpatient Information System of the Unified Health System (SIA-SUS) from March 2019 to December 2021. Such results were compared with CER managers' perceptions about the impacts of the pandemic on the units, measured by a web survey applied between November 2020 and February 2021. Monthly averages of 247 procedures were calculated, organized into 18 groups, for three periods - year before the pandemic (YBP) and first (YP1) and second (YP2) years of the pandemic. Through the online form, information was collected on: operation and organization of services; post-covid-19 rehabilitation; actions to support the needs of users and professionals; strategies and challenges experienced. RESULTS: There was a 33.3% reduction in the total number of procedures in YP1 compared to YBP. There were no reductions in procedures performed by nurses and for ostomates. There was greater impairment for group activities, visual therapies and home visits. In YP2, there was a recovery of averages in relation to YBP in 11 groups of procedures, with an increase of 104.1% in Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy. In the answers to the online form, 91.7% of the managers indicate structural and/or organizational changes in the CER, such as: creation of prioritization criteria for assistance; introduction of telerehabilitation; changes in the work process and; provision of professional training. Half of the CER already treated people with covid-19 sequelae, but not all of them had been trained to do so. Limitations in participation and social support for PWD were identified. CONCLUSIONS: There was a severe impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the CER. Added to the damming up of previous demands are those of post-covid-19 users, configuring a challenging picture. It is necessary to strengthen the Care Network for Persons with Disabilities, with expansion and greater integration of services and a more inclusive organization to overcome these challenges.

Performance patterns of primary health care in the face of COVID-19 in Brazil: characteristics and contrasts. / Padrões de desempenho da atenção primária à saúde diante da COVID-19 no Brasil: características e contrastes.

The adequate fight against pandemics requires effective coordination between primary health care (PHC) and health surveillance, guaranteed attention to acute and chronic demands, and a bond with the community dimension in the scope of basic health units (UBS, acronym in Portuguese). This study aims to contrast two extreme standards of PHC performance in the fight against COVID-19 in Brazil, comparing them with the profiles of the corresponding municipalities and characteristics of the organization of services. Based on the results of a cross-sectional national survey with a representative sample of UBSs, we created a synthetic index to evaluate how PHC performs against COVID-19 called CPI, composed of axes of health surveillance and social support (collective dimension) and of COVID-19 care and continuity of care (individual dimension). Of the 907 surveyed UBSs, 120 were selected, half of which had the highest indexes (complete standard) and the other half, the lowest ones (restricted standard). The municipalities of the UBSs with a complete standard are predominantly rural, have low Municipal Health Development Index (MHDI), high Family Health Strategy (FHS) coverage, and stand out in the collective dimension, whereas the UBSs in urban municipalities with this same standard have high MHDI, low FHS coverage, and an emphasis on the individual dimension. In the restricted standard, we highlight community health workers' reduced work in the territory. In the Brazilian Northeast, UBSs with complete standard predominate, whereas, in its Southeast, UBSs with restricted standard predominate. The study poses questions that refer to the role and organization of PHC in the health care network under situations that require prompt response to health issues and indicates the greater potential capacity of the FHS program in such situations.

O enfrentamento adequado de pandemias requer forte articulação entre atenção primária à saúde (APS) e vigilância em saúde, atenção garantida às demandas agudas e crônicas e vinculação com a dimensão comunitária no âmbito das unidades básicas de saúde (UBS). O objetivo deste artigo é contrastar dois padrões extremos de desempenho da APS no enfrentamento da COVID-19 no Brasil, cotejando-os com os perfis dos respectivos municípios e características da organização dos serviços. A partir dos resultados de inquérito nacional transversal com amostra representativa das UBS, foi criado um índice sintético de desempenho da APS em relação à COVID-19, denominado CPI, composto pelos eixos de vigilância e apoio social (dimensão coletiva) e de atendimento ao paciente com COVID-19 e continuidade do cuidado (dimensão individual). Das 907 UBS pesquisadas, foram selecionadas 120, sendo a metade com os maiores índices encontrados (padrão completo) e a outra com os menores (padrão restrito). Os municípios das UBS com padrão completo são preponderantemente rurais, com baixo Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano Municipal (IDHM), alta cobertura da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) e destacam-se na dimensão coletiva, enquanto as UBS nesse mesmo padrão situadas em municípios urbanos apresentam alto IDHM, baixa cobertura de ESF, com ênfase na dimensão individual. No padrão restrito, destaca-se a reduzida atuação de agentes comunitários de saúde no território. Na Região Nordeste, predominam UBS com padrão completo, enquanto na Sudeste preponderam UBS com padrão restrito. O estudo apresenta questões que remetem ao papel e à organização da APS na rede de cuidados em situações que requerem pronta resposta aos agravos de saúde e indica maior capacidade potencial da ESF em tais situações.

El enfrentamiento adecuado de las pandemias requiere una fuerte articulación entre atención primaria de salud (APS) y la vigilancia en salud, una atención garantizada a las demandas agudas y crónicas y la vinculación con la dimensión comunitaria en el ámbito de las unidades básicas de salud (UBS). El objetivo de este artículo es contrastar dos patrones extremos de desempeño de la APS en el enfrentamiento del COVID-19 en Brasil, comparándolos con los perfiles de los respectivos municipios y características de la organización de los servicios. A partir de los resultados de una encuesta nacional transversal con una muestra representativa de las UBS fue creado un índice sintético de desempeño de la APS frente al COVID-19, denominado CPI, compuesto por los ejes de vigilancia y apoyo social (dimensión colectiva) y de atención al COVID-19 y continuidad de la atención (dimensión individual). De las 907 UBS investigadas, se seleccionaron 120, siendo la mitad con los índices más grandes encontrados (estándar completo) y la otra con los más bajos (estándar estricto). Los municipios de las UBS con estándar completo son preponderantemente rurales, con bajo índice de desarrollo humano municipal (IDHM), alta cobertura de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia (ESF) y se destacan en la dimensión colectiva, mientras que las UBS en este mismo estándar situadas en municipios urbanos presentan alto IDHM, baja cobertura de ESF, con énfasis en la dimensión individual. En el estándar estricto, se destaca la reducida actuación de los agentes comunitarios de salud en el territorio. En la región Nordeste predominan las UBS con estándar completo, mientras que en el Sureste predominan las UBS con un estándar estricto. El estudio aporta cuestiones que remiten al papel y organización de la APS en la red de atención en situaciones que requieren respuesta rápida a los problemas de salud e indica una mayor capacidad potencial de la ESF en tales situaciones.

Dental care for persons with disabilities: discretion on the frontline.

OBJECTIVE: To depict the influence of discretionary actions exercised by frontline professionals and organizations on the implementation of diverse modalities of access to specialized dental care within the Care Network for Persons with Disabilities. METHODS: A case study conducted in two Brazilian health regions characterized by distinct means of access to specialized dental care employing documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders across the period spanning from July to December 2019. RESULTS: In the referenced access region, there was a notable centrality of Primary Health Care (PHC) in caregiving, wherein planning and assessment were integral components of institutional routines. Where spontaneous demand scheduling was accepted, sporadic exchanges of information were evident between PHC units and specialized facilities. The coordination role in caregiving was not vested in PHC teams, and activities such as planning and assessment were not assimilated into organizational routines. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of policies for specialized dental care for persons with disabilities relied on the coordination furnished by PHC and the orchestration of planning and assessment endeavors aimed at establishing an integrated care network. This implementation proved subject to the discretionary authority of frontline professionals and organizations, highlighting the significant role of relational and institutional environments in the context of public policy implementation within a decentralized and regionalized healthcare system.

The Brazilian primary health care response to the COVID-19 pandemic: individual and collective approaches.

Objectives: Brazil's PHC wide coverage has a potential role in the fight against COVID, especially in less developed regions. PHC should deal with COVID-19 treatment; health surveillance; continuity of care; and social support. This article aims to analyze PHC performance profiles during the pandemic, in these axes, comparing the five Brazilian macro-regions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was carried out, using stratified probability sampling of PHC facilities (PHCF). A Composite Index was created, the Covid PHC Index (CPI). Factor analysis revealed that collective actions contrastingly behaved to individual actions. We verified differences in the distributions of CPI components between macro-regions and their associations with structural indicators. Results: Nine hundred and seven PHCF participated in the survey. The CPI and its axes did not exceed 70, with the highest value in surveillance (70) and the lowest in social support (59). The Individual dimension scored higher in the South, whereas the Collective dimension scored higher in the Northeast region. PHCF with the highest CPI belong to municipalities with lower HDI, GDP per capita, population, number of hospitals, and ICU beds. Conclusion: The observed profiles, individually and collectively-oriented, convey disputes on Brazilian health policies since 2016, and regional structural inequalities.

Efficiency Analysis in Brazil's Sao Paulo State Local Unified Health System (SUS): From Gender-Ethnicity-Power Inequities to the Dissolution of Health Effectiveness.

Health equity is cross sectioned by the reproduction of social relations of gender, ethnicity and power. The purpose of this article is to assess how intersectional health equity determines societal health levels, in a local efficiency analysis within Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS), among Sao Paulo state municipalities. Fixed Panel Effects Model and Data Envelopment Analysis techniques were applied, according to resources, health production and intersectoral dimensions. The effect variables considered were expectation of life at birth and infant mortality rates, in 2000 and 2010, according to local health regions (HR) and regionalized healthcare networks (RRAS). Inequity was assessed both socioeconomically and culturally (income, education, ethnicity and gender). Both methods demonstrated that localities with higher inequities (income and education, gender and ethnicity oriented), associated or not to vulnerability (young and low-income families, in subnormal urban agglomerations), were the least efficient. Health production contributes too little to health levels, especially at the local level, which is highly correlated to the intersectoral dimension. Intersectional health equity, reinforced in its intertwining with ethnicity, gender and social position, is essential in order to achieve adequate societal health levels, beyond health access or sanitary and clinical efficacy.

Prevalence of multimorbidity in older adults in São Paulo, Brazil: a study with ISA-Capital.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity in older adults in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study based on the 2015 ISA-Capital population-based survey, with a subsample of 1,019 older adults aged ≥ 60 years old. Multimorbidity was categorized considering two or more chronic diseases, based on a previously defined list. The data were analyzed in univariate and multiple models with Poisson regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of multimorbidity was 40% (95%CI: 36.6-43.8), being higher in women (PR a = 1.95 [compared to men]; 95%CI: 1.58-2.40), in individuals aged ≥ 75 years old (PR a = 1.25 [compared to individuals aged ≥ 60 to 64 years old]; 95%CI: 1.01-1.60), in Black people (PR a = 1.28 [compared to White people]; 95%CI: 1.04-1.59), in high-income people (PR a = 1.27 [compared to low income]; 95%CI: 1.09-1.50) and in former smokers (PR a = 1.30 [compared to those who never smoked]; 95%CI: 1.05-1.60), and lower in smokers (PR a = 0.72 [compared to those who never smoked]; 95%CI: 1.09-1.50). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of multimorbidity was lower than that reported in most of the reviewed studies, but consistently associated with gender, age, race/skin color, smoking habit and socioeconomic status. The standardization of conceptual and methodological criteria for estimation is a challenge to relieve problems in the planning and management of health care systems for older populations.

Specialized care and health transport from a Health Care Network integration perspective. / Atenção Especializada e transporte sanitário na perspectiva de integração às Redes de Atenção à Saúde.

The aim of this study was to analyze the organization and provision of specialized care (SC) and health transport in regional polyclinics in the state of Bahia, Brazil. We conducted a qualitative exploratory single case study of a polyclinic based on semi-structured interviews with key informants in municipal and state health services. We sought to identify elements that characterize network-based models of SC. A number of advances were identified, including: an increase in the provision of SC and the scope and quality of services; effective retention of health professionals; provision of health transport; monitoring of SC; and improvements in the regulation of access to care through the use of computerized systems. The following challenges were observed: tailoring SC planning to regional health needs; the promotion of care coordination by Primary Health Care (PHC); the development of strategies to improve communication between SC and PHC professionals; institutionalization of counter-referral; engagement between the polyclinic and spaces for citizen participation; and fostering matrix support, permanent education, teaching-service integration, and research. Despite the intrinsic challenges of SC and the need to strengthen the central role of PHC, the regional polyclinic arrangement is better suited to the integration of the health care networks.

O objetivo é analisar a organização e oferta de atenção especializada (AE) e transporte sanitário nas Policlínicas Regionais da Bahia, via Consórcios Interfederativos de Saúde. Foi realizado estudo de caso em uma Policlínica, com abordagem qualitativa, a partir de entrevistas com atores municipais e estaduais. Buscou-se identificar elementos que caracterizam um modelo de AE integrado às Redes de Atenção à Saúde. Entre os avanços identifica-se ampliação da oferta de AE; garantia de escopo, qualidade e fixação de profissionais; provisão de transporte sanitário; monitoramento da prestação da AE; e avanços na regulação por sistema informatizado. Representam desafios: adequação do planejamento da AE à realidade locorregional; incentivo à coordenação do cuidado pela Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) e à aproximação entre profissionais da AE e APS; institucionalização da contrarreferência, relação com instâncias de participação social; e incentivo às funções de matriciamento, Educação Permanente, integração ensino-serviço e pesquisa. Considera-se o arranjo das Policlínicas Regionais, mais afeito à integração às Redes de Atenção à Saúde, em que pese os desafios intrínsecos à AE e ao necessário fortalecimento da APS para que possa assumir a condução do sistema.

Different remote realities: health and the use of territory in Brazilian rural municipalities.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize remote rural Brazilian municipalities according to their logic of insertion into socio-spatial dynamics, discussing the implications of these characteristics for health policies. METHODS: Starting from the category of analysis - the use of the territory - a typology was elaborated, with the delimitation of six clusters. The clusters were compared using socioeconomic data and the distance in minutes to the metropolis, regional capital, and sub-regional center. Mean, standard error and standard deviation of the quantitative variables were calculated, and tests on mean differences were performed. RESULTS: The six clusters identified bring together 97.2% of remote rural municipalities and were called: "Matopiba," "Norte de Minas," "Vetor Centro-Oeste," "Semiárido," "Norte Águas," and "Norte Estradas." Differences are observed between the clusters in the analyzed variables, indicating the existence of different realities. Remote rural municipalities of "Norte Águas" and "Norte Estradas" clusters are the most populous, the most extensive and are thousands of kilometers away from urban centers, while those in "Norte de Minas" and "Semiárido" clusters have smaller areas with a distance of about 200 km away from urban centers. The remote rural municipalities of the "Vetor Centro-Oeste" cluster, in turn, are distinguished by a dynamic economy, inserted into the world economic circuit due to the agribusiness. The Family Health Strategy is the predominant model in the organization of primary health care. CONCLUSION: Remote rural municipalities are distinguished by their socio-spatial characteristics and insertion into the economic logic, demanding customized health policies. The strategy of building health regions, offering specialized regional services, tends to be more effective in remote rural municipalities closer to urban centers, as long as it is articulated with the health transportation policy. The use of information technology and expansion of the scope of telehealth activities is mandatory to face distances in such scenarios. Comprehensive primary health care with a strong cultural component is key to guaranteeing the right to health for citizens residing in such regions.

Water, land, and air: how do residents of Brazilian remote rural territories travel to access health services?

BACKGROUND: Ensuring adequate and safe means of travel is essential for maintaining and improving the health and well-being of residents of rural communities worldwide. This article maps costs, distances, travel times, and means of elective and urgent/emergency health transport in Brazilian remote rural municipalities. METHODS: Multiple case studies were conducted in 27 remote rural municipalities using a qualitative method. A total of 178 key informants (managers, doctors, and nurses) were interviewed. Secondary data from national information systems were analyzed for the socioeconomic characterization, to identify the costs, distances, and travel times. Through the thematic content analysis of the interviews, the means of transport, and strategies developed by managers, professionals and users for their provision were identified. RESULTS: The costs of traveling between remote rural municipalities and locations where most of specialized and hospital services are centered can compromise a significant part of the families' income. The insufficiency, restriction of days, times, and routes of health transport affects the selection of beneficiaries based on socioeconomic criteria in places of high vulnerability and less investment in road infrastructure. In remote rural municipalities, travelling to seek health care involves inter-municipal and intra-municipal flows, as their territories have dispersed populations. Several means of transport were identified - air, river, and land - which are often used in a complementary way in the same route. Some patients travel for more than 1000 km, with travel times exceeding 20 h, especially in the Amazon region. While the demands for urgent and emergency transport are partially met by national public policy, the same is not true for the elective transport of patients. The impossibility of providing health transport under the exclusive responsibility of the municipalities is identified. CONCLUSIONS: For the remote rural municipalities populations, the absence of national public policies for sufficient, continuous, and timely provision of transport for health services worsens the cycle of inequities and compromises the assumption of the universal right to health care.