The healthcare needs and general practice utilization of people with acquired neurological disability and complex needs: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: For people with acquired neurological disabilities and complex needs, general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in health management and early intervention for the prevention of comorbidities and health complications. People with disability are a vulnerable group who need and have the right to, quality general practice services. It is therefore important to understand the health needs and service use of this group. The aim of this review was to identify the healthcare needs and general practice utilization of people with acquired neurological disabilities and complex needs. METHODS: A scoping review methodological framework was utilized. Six databases (MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase and the Cochrane Library) were searched. Articles were included if they reported on general practice service utilization of people with acquired neurological disabilities and complex needs aged between 18 and 65. Articles were required to be peer-reviewed, written in English and published between 2010 and 2021. RESULTS: Thirty-one articles were included in the review. Studies originated from Canada (9), the United States (8), Australia (4), Switzerland (4), the United Kingdom (2), England (1), Norway (1), France (1) and Denmark (1). For many people, GPs were the main healthcare provider. People with disability consult multiple healthcare providers and navigate complex healthcare systems. Commonly presented healthcare needs were bladder, bowel and skin problems, pain and chronic pain, medication needs and mental health concerns. CONCLUSIONS: People with acquired neurological disabilities and complex needs were vulnerable to receiving suboptimal healthcare. The literature highlighted issues regarding the accessibility of services, the fragmentation of health services and inadequate preventative care. GPs were challenged to offer adequate disability-related expertise and to meet the mental health needs of people with disability within time constraints. PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: This manuscript was prepared in collaboration with a GP, who is one of the authors. A person with lived experience of acquired neurological disability was engaged to check the alignment of the findings with their personal experience and provide feedback.

Co-developing an integrated primary care workforce planning approach at a regional level: overarching framework and guiding principles.

Health workforce planning provides a crucial evidence-base for decision-makers in the development and deployment of a fit-for-purpose workforce. Although less common, health workforce planning at the regional level helps to ground planning in the unique realities of local health systems. This commentary provides an overview of the process by which an integrated primary healthcare workforce planning toolkit was co-developed by university-based researchers with the Canadian Health Workforce Network and partners within a major urban regional health authority. The co-development process was guided by a conceptual framework emphasizing the key principles of sound health workforce planning: that it (1) be informed by evidence both quantitative and qualitative in nature; (2) be driven by population health needs and achieve population, worker and system outcomes; (3) recognize that deployment is geographically based and interprofessionally bound within a complex adaptive system; and (4) be embedded in a cyclical process of aligning evolving population health needs and workforce capacity.

An integrated primary care workforce planning toolkit at the regional level (part 1): qualitative tools compiled for decision-makers in Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND: A regional health authority in Toronto, Canada, identified health workforce planning as an essential input to the implementation of their comprehensive Primary Care Strategy. The goal of this project was to develop an evidence-informed toolkit for integrated, multi-professional, needs-based primary care workforce planning for the region. This article presents the qualitative workforce planning processes included in the toolkit. METHODS: To inform the workforce planning process, we undertook a targeted review of the health workforce planning literature and an assessment of existing planning models. We assessed models based on their alignment with the core needs and key challenges of the health authority: multi-professional, population needs-based, accommodating short-term planning horizons and multiple planning scales, and addressing key challenges including population mobility and changing provider practice patterns. We also assessed the strength of evidence surrounding the models' performance and acceptability. RESULTS: We developed a fit-for-purpose health workforce planning toolkit, integrating elements from existing models and embedding key features that address the region's specific planning needs and objectives. The toolkit outlines qualitative workforce planning processes, including scenario generation tools that provide opportunities for patient and provider engagement. Tools include STEEPLED Analysis, SWOT Analysis, an adaptation of Porter's Five Forces Framework, and Causal Loop Diagrams. These planning processes enable the selection of policy interventions that are robust to uncertainty and that are appropriate and acceptable at the regional level. CONCLUSIONS: The qualitative inputs that inform health workforce planning processes are often overlooked, but they represent an essential part of an evidence-informed toolkit to support integrated, multi-professional, needs-based primary care workforce planning.

An integrated primary care workforce planning toolkit at the regional level (part 2): quantitative tools compiled for decision-makers in Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Health workforce planning capability at a regional level is increasingly necessary to ensure that the healthcare needs of defined local populations can be met by the health workforce. In 2016, a regional health authority in Toronto, Canada, identified a need for more robust health workforce planning infrastructure and processes. The goal of this project was to develop an evidence-informed toolkit for integrated, multi-professional, needs-based primary care workforce planning for the region. This article presents the quantitative component of the workforce planning toolkit and describes the process followed to develop this tool. METHODS: We conducted an environmental scan to identify datasets addressing population health need and profession-specific health workforce supply that could contribute to quantitative health workforce modelling. We assessed these sources of data for comprehensiveness, quality, and availability. We also developed a quantitative health workforce planning model to assess the alignment of regional service requirements with the service capacity of the workforce. RESULTS: The quantitative model developed as part of the toolkit includes components relating to both population health need and health workforce supply. Different modules were developed to capture the information and address local issues impacting delivery and planning of primary care health services in Toronto. CONCLUSIONS: A quantitative health workforce planning model is a necessary component of any health workforce planning toolkit. In combination with qualitative tools, it supports integrated, multi-professional, needs-based primary care workforce planning. This type of planning presents an opportunity to address inequities in access and outcome for regional populations.

Needs-led human resource planning for Sierra Leone in support of oral health.

BACKGROUND: In Sierra Leone (SL), a low-income country in West Africa, dental care is very limited, largely private, and with services focused in the capital Freetown. There is no formal dental education. Ten dentists supported by a similar number of dental care professionals (DCPs) serve a population of over 7.5 million people. The objective of this research was to estimate needs-led requirements for dental care and human resources for oral health to inform capacity building, based on a national survey of oral health in SL. METHODS: A dedicated operational research (OR) decision tool was constructed in Microsoft Excel to support this project. First, total treatment needs were estimated from our national epidemiological survey data for three key ages (6, 12 and 15 years), collected using the 'International Caries Classification and Management System (ICCMS)' tool. Second, oral health needs were extrapolated to whole population levels for each year-group, based on census demographic data. Third, full time equivalent (FTE) workforce capacity needs were estimated for mid-level providers in the form of Dental Therapists (DTs) and non-dental personnel based on current oral disease management approaches and clinical timings for treatment procedures. Fourth, informed by an expert panel, three oral disease management scenarios were explored for the national population: (1) Conventional care (CC): comprising oral health promotion (including prevention), restorations and tooth extraction; (2) Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P and S6P): comprising oral health promotion (inc. prevention) and tooth extraction (D5 and D6 together, & at D6 level only); and (3) Prevention only (P): consisting of oral health promotion (inc. prevention). Fifth, the findings were extrapolated to the whole population based on demography, assuming similar levels of treatment need. RESULTS: To meet the needs of a single year-group of childrens' needs, an average of 163 DTs (range: 133-188) would be required to deliver Conventional care (CC); 39 DTs (range: 30-45) to deliver basic Surgical and Preventive care (S6P); 54 DTs for more extended Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P) (range 38-68); and 27 DTs (range: 25-32) to deliver Prevention only (P). When scaled up to the total population, an estimated 6,147 DTs (range: 5,565-6,870) would be required to deliver Conventional care (CC); 1,413 DTs (range: 1255-1438 DTs) to deliver basic Surgical and Preventive care (S6P); 2,000 DTs (range 1590-2236) for more extended Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P) (range 1590-2236); and 1,028 DTs to deliver Prevention only (P) (range: 1016-1046). Furthermore, if oral health promotion activities, including individualised prevention, could be delivered by non-dental personnel, then the remaining surgical care could be delivered by 385 DTs (range: 251-488) for the S6P scenario which was deemed as the minimum basic baseline service involving extracting all teeth with extensive caries into dentine. More realistically, 972 DTs (range: 586-1179) would be needed for the S5&6P scenario in which all teeth with distinctive and extensive caries into dentine are extracted. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the huge dental workforce needs required to deliver even minimal oral health care to the Sierra Leone population. The gap between the current workforce and the oral health needs of the population is stark and requires urgent action. The study also demonstrates the potential for contemporary epidemiological tools to predict dental treatment needs and inform workforce capacity building in a low-income country, exploring a range of solutions involving mid-level providers and non-dental personnel.

Health workforce demography: a framework to improve understanding of the health workforce and support achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The ambition of universal health coverage entails estimation of the number, type and distribution of health workers required to meet the population need for health services. The demography of the population, including anticipated or estimated changes, is a factor in determining the 'universal' needs for health and well-being. Demography is concerned with the size, breakdown, age and gender structure and dynamics of a population. The same science, and its robust methodologies, is equally applicable to the demography of the health workforce itself. For example, a large percentage of the workforce close to retirement will impact availability, a geographically mobile workforce has implications for health coverage, and gender distribution in occupations may have implications for workforce acceptability and equity of opportunity. In a world with an overall shortage of health workers, and the expectation of increasing need as a result of both population growth in the global south and population ageing in the global north, studying and understanding demographic characteristics of the workforce can help with future planning. This paper discusses the dimensions of health worker demography and considers how demographic tools and techniques can be applied to the analysis of the health labour market. A conceptual framework is introduced as a step towards the application of demographic principles and techniques to health workforce analysis and planning exercises as countries work towards universal health coverage, the reduction of inequities and national development targets. Some illustrative data from Nepal and Finland are shown to illustrate the potential of this framework as a simple and effective contribution to health workforce planning.

Community health needs assessment: a nurses' global health project in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Global health has been directed to providing solutions to various health issues cross-nations, and nurses have received wide recognition as a key health workforce to reduce health disparities globally. Nurses involved in global health research are required to implement evidence-based global nursing practices based on the assessments of local health needs. AIM: To assess health needs and to suggest future interventions in rural communities of Vietnam. METHODS: A multifaceted rapid participatory appraisal with information pyramid was used applying mixed methods from six sources: existing record review, surveys of community residents, surveys of healthcare providers, focus group discussions with community leaders, informal discussions with governmental health administrators and observations of community health station (CHS) facilities. RESULTS: The majority used the CHSs as primary health facilities with high satisfaction for services currently provided. However, there were needs for the stations to provide more comprehensive services including chronic diseases, and for healthcare providers to improve their competences. Community leaders showed high interest in health information for chronic diseases and strong commitment to involvement in the activities for health of their communities. The findings suggest future interventions in the areas of the enhancement of CHS' functions, human resources and the self-care capacity of community residents. CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS: The rapid participatory appraisal approach emphasizing community participation and partnership was a useful tool to compile accurate information about the current needs of the community on health, the preparedness of healthcare services to meet community's demands and about community capacity. This process is fundamental to nurses, who initiate global health projects in resource-limited international countries, to generate evidences regarding practice, research and policy for taking responsibilities in promoting the sustainable development goals.

Improving the planning of the GP workforce in Australia: a simulation model incorporating work transitions, health need and service usage.

BACKGROUND: In Australia, the approach to health workforce planning has been supply-led and resource-driven rather than need-based. The result has been cycles of shortages and oversupply. These approaches have tended to use age and sex projections as a measure of need or demand for health care. Less attention has been given to more complex aspects of the population, such as the increasing proportion of the ageing population and increasing levels of chronic diseases or changes in the mix of health care providers or their productivity levels. These are difficult measures to get right and so are often avoided. This study aims to develop a simulation model for planning the general practice workforce in South Australia that incorporates work transitions, health need and service usage. METHODS: A simulation model was developed with two sub-models--a supply sub-model and a need sub-model. The supply sub-model comprised three components--training, supply and productivity--and the need sub-model described population size, health needs, service utilisation rates and productivity. A state transition cohort model is used to estimate the future supply of GPs, accounting for entries and exits from the workforce and changes in location and work status. In estimating the required number of GPs, the model used incidence and prevalence data, combined with age, gender and condition-specific utilisation rates. The model was run under alternative assumptions reflecting potential changes in need and utilisation rates over time. RESULTS: The supply sub-model estimated the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) GP stock in SA for the period 2004-2011 and was similar to the observed data, although it had a tendency to overestimate the GP stock. The three scenarios presented for the demand sub-model resulted in different outcomes for the estimated required number of GPs. For scenario one, where utilisation rates in 2003 were assumed optimal, the model predicted fewer FTE GPs were required than was observed. In scenario 2, where utilisation rates in 2013 were assumed optimal, the model matched observed data, and in scenario 3, which assumed increasing age- and gender-specific needs over time, the model predicted more FTE GPs were required than was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a robust methodology for determining supply and demand for one professional group at a state level. The supply sub-model was fitted to accurately represent workforce behaviours. In terms of demand, the scenario analysis showed variation in the estimations under different assumptions that demonstrates the value of monitoring population-based need over time. In the meantime, expert opinion might identify the most relevant scenario to be used in projecting workforce requirements.

Mais Médicos program: provision of medical doctors in rural, remote and socially vulnerable areas of Brazil, 2013-2014.

INTRODUCTION: The Mais Médicos program was introduced in 2013 with the aim of reducing the shortage of doctors in priority regions and diminishing regional inequalities in health. One of the strategies has been to offer 3-year contracts for doctors to work in primary healthcare services in small towns, inland, rural, remote, and socially vulnerable areas. This report describes the program's implementation and the allocation of doctors to these target areas in 2014. METHODS: To describe the provision of doctors in the first year of implementation, we compared the doctor-to-population ratio in the 5570 municipalities of Brazil before and after the program, based on the Federal Board of Medicine database (2013), and the official dataset provided by the Ministry of Health (2014). RESULTS: In its first public call (July 2013) 3511 municipalities joined the Mais Médicos program, requesting a total of 15 460 doctors; although the program prioritizes the recruitment of Brazilians, only 1096 nationals enrolled and were hired, together with 522 foreign doctors. As a consequence, an international cooperation agreement was set in place to recruit Cuban doctors. In 12 months the program recruited 14 462 doctors: 79.0% Cubans, 15.9% Brazilians and 5.1% of other nationalities, covering 93.5% of the doctors demanded; they were assigned to all the 3785 municipalities enrolled. The study reveals a major decrease in the number of municipalities with fewer than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants, which dropped from 374 in 2013 to 95 in 2014 (75% reduction). Of the total, 294 doctors were sent to work in the country's 34 Indigenous Health Districts (100% coverage) and 3390 doctors were deployed in municipalities containing certified rural maroon communities (formed centuries ago by runaway slaves). After 1 year of implementation, the municipalities with maroon communities with less than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants were reduced by 87% in the poorest north region. More than 30% of municipalities with maroon communities in the richest regions had more than 1.0 doctors per thousand inhabitants, whereas in the poorest regions fewer than 7% of municipalities reached that level. CONCLUSIONS: The Mais Médicos program has granted medical assistance to these historically overlooked populations. However, it is important to evaluate the mid- and long-term sustainability of this initiative.

The needs-based health workforce planning method: a systematic scoping review of analytical applications.

Although the theoretical underpinnings and analytical framework for needs-based health workforce planning are well developed and tested, its uptake in national planning processes is still limited. Towards the development of open-access needs-based planning model for national workforce planning, we conducted a systematic scoping review of analytical applications of needs-based health workforce models. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses-extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, a systematic scoping review was conducted. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published in English was undertaken across several databases. Papers retrieved were assessed against predefined inclusion criteria, critically appraised, extracted and synthesized. Twenty-five papers were included, which showed increasing uptake of the needs-based health workforce modelling, with 84% of the studies published within the last decade (2010-20). Three countries (Canada, Australia and England) accounted for 48% of the publications included whilst four studies (16%) were based on low-and-middle-income countries. Only three of the studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the studies (36%) reported analytical applications for specific disease areas/programs at sub-national levels; 20% focused on the health system need for particular categories of health workers, and only two (8%) reported the analytical application of the needs-based health workforce approach at the level of a national health system across several disease areas/programs. Amongst the studies that conducted long-term projections, the time horizon of the projection was an average of 17 years, ranging from 3 to 33 years. Most of these studies had a minimum time horizon of 10 years. Across the studies, we synthesized six typical methodological considerations for advancing needs-based health workforce modelling. As countries aspire to align health workforce investments with population health needs, the need for some level of methodological harmonization, open-access needs-based models and guidelines for policy-oriented country-level use is not only imperative but urgent.

Perception toward the family medicine services among the Physicians of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh City, 2018: Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Family medicine is the medical specialty that continuously provides comprehensive type of health care for individuals and families. Although the family physician role is essential, this specialty faces underestimation by other physicians of other specialties, thus resulting in a considerable gap in their cooperation and coordination, as some studies around the world had shown. The present study aimed to estimate the perception of other physicians toward the practice of family medicine physicians to improve the relationship between family physicians and other physicians, which in turn may lead to enhance healthcare system by high quality of work and higher efficiency. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To estimate the perception among the physicians of Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh City by measuring the satisfaction toward the family medicine medical practices. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Through a cross-sectional design, the study had recruited 289 physicians who were actively practicing and working at Prince Sultan Military Medical City and fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria during the period from October 2018 until June 2019. Data collection carried out by questionnaire designed and revised by an expert panel of health professionals. An appropriate statistical test, such as the Chi-square test, was used to record the statistical significance between participants' answers and their demographic characteristics. RESULTS: According to the study design, 289 patients were included in the study; the mean age was 42 years that ranged between 25 and 74 years. Two-Third of them (66%) were male and had Saudi nationality. Half of the participants are medical consultant, and a third of all participants worked under the department of internal medicine. The majority expressed their good perception with the family physician practice (91%). Most of the medical departments satisfied with statistically significant (P value <0.05) with the need for family medicine services. There was less satisfaction from physicians in different departments with effective communication between family medicine services and other departments but didn't reach up to significant statistical level. Higher qualified physicians with high-rank job categories were less satisfied with the performance of family medicine services. CONCLUSION: Among other physicians in different departments, family medicine physicians have a good perception, and most of the physicians agreed that family medicine physicians should work more in their referral letters to improve their communication between them and other departments.

Population health and medicine: Policy and financial drivers.

PURPOSE: The financial and policy levers of population health and potential opportunities for pharmacists are described. SUMMARY: Three long-standing problems drive the focus on population health: (1) the United States suffers far worse population health outcomes compared with those of other developed nations that spend significantly less on healthcare, (2) the U.S. healthcare system's focus on "sick care" fails to address upstream prevention and population health improvement, and (3) financial incentives for healthcare delivery are poorly aligned with improvements in population health outcomes. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) was arguably the first major healthcare legislation since 1965 and had 3 main strategies for improving population health: expand health insurance coverage, control healthcare costs, and improve the healthcare delivery system. Federal and state legislation as well as Medicare and Medicaid financing strategies have designated mechanisms to reward advances in population outcomes since the passage of the ACA. States are responsible for many of the factors that affect population health, and a bipartisan effort that builds upon state and federal collaboration will likely be needed to implement the necessary health policy initiative. Population health issues affect productivity in the United States; conversely, improvements in population health may increase productivity, helping to offset the rising federal debt. Employers are in a position to improve population health and consequently help reduce the federal debt by addressing lifestyle, chronic disease, poverty, and inequality. National pharmacy organizations, regulatory bodies, and journal editors need to collectively agree to a threshold of quality and rigor for publication and endorsement. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the policy and financial drivers of population health may both support pharmacists' efforts to improve population outcomes and identify opportunities for professional advancement.

Evaluación de las necesidades de recursos humanos en salud: aplicación a la estimación de nefrólogos en Uruguay / Assessing the need for human resources in health: Nephrologist supply forecast in Uruguay / Avaliação das necessidades de recursos humanos em saúde: aplicação à estimativa de nefrologistas no Uruguai

Introducción: mejorar la salud de la población, considerando acceso universal con equidad, requiere de un número de profesionales y una distribución de los mismos adecuada a los problemas de salud de las personas. Las metodologías rigurosas deberían incorporar la identificación de las necesidades en salud para poder cumplir con este principio. Objetivo: estimar estándares de necesidad de nefrólogos para la población de Uruguay en 2020. Método: se conformó un grupo de referentes en nefrología procedentes de la academia y/o Sociedad Científica, se recabaron antecedentes y fuentes de la especialidad vinculadas a los problemas de salud renal en la población. Se definieron un conjunto de supuestos y condiciones iniciales. Se estimó la necesidad de nefrólogos de Uruguay para el año 2020, total del país y por departamento, expresada en valores absolutos y en términos de tasas de profesionales respecto a la población. Se identificaron escenarios alternativos de necesidad a partir de modificaciones de las condiciones iniciales. Resultados: para todo el país la necesidad de nefrólogos se estima entre 139 y 192 profesionales, esto implica una tasa de necesidad en un rango de 39 a 54 por millón de habitantes. Conclusiones: el estudio es el primero en Uruguay en reportar estándares de necesidad de nefrólogos expresados en términos de tasas de especialistas por población en diferentes escenarios definidos a partir de criterios que han sido explicitados y fundamentados.

Introduction: improving the health of populations by means of favoring universal access with equity requires the appropriate number and right distribution of professionals, according to the different health problems people face. Rigorous methodologies should include identification of health requirements in order to comply with this principle. Objective: to estimate the demand for nephrologists in the Uruguayan population in 2020. Method: a group of reference nephrologists - scholars or members of the scientific society - was formed to forecast the demand for these specialists. To that end they reviewed historical data and sources of this field of knowledge that have some connection with kidney diseases in the studied population. Subsequently, a number of assumptions and initial conditions were defined to conduct the study. The demand for nephrologists in Uruguay by 2020 was estimated for the whole country and by department, and it was expressed in absolute values and professional-to-population ratio. Alternative requirement scenarios were identified based on modifications to the initial conditions. Results: the demand for nephrologists is between 139 and 192 professionals, which implies a 39 to 54 per 1 million inhabitants ratio. Conclusions: this is the first one of this kind of studies conducted in Uruguay to report standards for nephrologists requirement in specialists per one million inhabitants, for different scenarios defined based on criteria that have been made explicit and backed.

Introdução: melhorar a saúde da população, considerando o acesso universal com equidade, requer um número de profissionais com uma distribuição adequada aos problemas de saúde das pessoas. Para cumprir este princípio são necessárias metodologias rigorosas que incorporem a identificação das necessidades de saúde. Objetivo: estimar padrões de necessidade de nefrologistas para a população do Uruguai em 2020. Método: formou-se um grupo de referência em nefrologia da academia e/ou Sociedade Científica, que pesquisaram os antecedentes e as fontes da especialidade ligados a problemas de saúde renal na população. Um conjunto de premissas e condições iniciais foi definido. A necessidade de nefrologistas no Uruguai foi estimada para o ano de 2020, para o total do país e por departamento, expressa em valores absolutos e em termos de proporção de profissionais para a população. Cenários alternativos de necessidade foram identificados com base em modificações das condições iniciais. Resultados: para todo o país, a necessidade de nefrologistas está entre 139 e 192 profissionais, o que implica uma taxa de necessidade na faixa de 39 a 54 por milhão de habitantes. Conclusões: o estudo é o primeiro no Uruguai a relatar padrões de necessidade de nefrologistas expressos em termos de taxas de especialistas por população, em diferentes cenários definidos com base em critérios explicados e fundamentados.

O discurso dos profissionais sobre a demanda e a humanização / What do professionals have to say about the demand and humanization of health services

A humanização dos serviços da atenção primária à saúde depende, em grande parte, da resolução das necessidades em saúde e da conseqüente organização da demanda. OBJETIVO: O artigo objetiva conhecer as implicações da demanda sobre a humanização das práticas de atenção primária. METODOLOGIA: Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória com abordagem qualitativa. O universo empírico da pesquisa foi composto por 10 trabalhadores de uma Unidade Básica de Saúde: 1 gestora, 1 médica, 1 dentista, 2 enfermeiros, 3 técnicos em enfermagem, 1 atendente da portaria e 1 encarregado do almoxarifado. A coleta de dados aconteceu em 8 reuniões de discussão focal sobre temas como política de humanização, direito à saúde, integralidade, acolhimento, subjetividade em saúde, processos de trabalho. As discussões foram gravadas e transcritas. Os dados foram trabalhados pela análise do discurso. RESULTADOS: Como resultados, apareceram três repertórios lingüísticos ligados à demanda: compreensão das necessidades em saúde; entendimento do acolhimento como triagem e aplicação de protocolo; influência do modelo biomédico na organização dos serviços. A excessiva demanda e a falta de resolubilidade estão ligadas a uma compreensão das necessidades de saúde como o simples acesso à tecnologia, e do acolhimento apenas como triagem de sintomas. Os profissionais da enfermagem reportam como uma causa da excessiva demanda o fato de que os usuários sempre querem ser atendidos pelo médico, o que pode ser explicado pela cultura da atenção criada pelo modelo biomédico no qual eles próprios se encontram quando entendem as necessidades e o acolhimento na perspectiva biomédica.

Necessidades de saúde pela voz da sociedade civil (os moradores) e do Estado (os trabalhadores de saúde) / Health needs by the voice of the civil society representatives (the residents) and of the State (health workers)

O objeto deste estudo diz respeito às necessidades de saúde de moradores da área de abrangência da UBS Vila Dalva, do Distrito de Saúde Escola do Butantã, no município de São Paulo. Tomou como referência o modo como essas necessidades são incorporadas aos processos de trabalho dessa unidade. O objetivo geral foi investigar as necessidades de saúde reconhecidas como objeto do trabalho em saúde. Para isso identificou e analisou o que os moradores reconhecem como necessidades de saúde e o que propõem para responder a essas necessidades. Quanto aos trabalhadores da UBS, identificou e analisou o que tomam por objeto do trabalho em saúde. Trabalhadores da UBS Vila Dalva e moradores da área de abrangência da unidade constituíram os sujeitos desta pesquisa. Utilizou-se a entrevista semiestruturada como técnica para a coleta dos dados e a análise temática como estratégia para a apreensão da realidade. A análise permitiu nominar categorias empíricas - necessidade da presença do Estado, necessidades de reprodução social, necessidade de participação política - que responderam como são reconhecidas as necessidades de saúde pelos moradores do território. A análise mostrou que os moradores atribuem ao Estado a responsabilidade pela garantia dos diversos serviços que promovem o bem estar social e a responsabilidade de interpor-se e de regular as relações entre capital e trabalho para promover a reprodução societal regida pelo direito de desfrutar da cidadania. A análise apontou também que os processos de trabalho da unidade têm sido instaurados de maneira prévia ao reconhecimento das necessidades dos grupos sociais homogêneos do território, limitando-se aos agravos e conduzidos pela lógica da política de focalização da atenção à saúde. A superação dessas reduções será viável quando os processos de trabalho forem instaurados a partir do reconhecimento das necessidades de saúde desses grupos, tomando-as pela ótica da saúde coletiva, ou seja, respeitando a concepção da determinação do processo saúde-doença e a conquista política do direito à saúde.

The aim of this study has to do with the health needs of UBS Vila Dalva embracing area residents, of the Butantã Health School District, in São Paulo County. It has taken as reference the way how these needs are incorporated to this unit´s work procedures. The general goal was to investigate the health needs recognized as object of work in health. In order to do that it has identified and analyzed what the residents recognized as health needs and what they propose as answer to these needs. As to the UBS Vila Dalva workers it has identified and analyzed what they take as object of work in health. UBS Vila Dalva workers and residents of the unit´s embracing area constituted the research subjects. The semi-structured interview was used as technique to collect the dada and the thematic analyses as strategy to the reality apprehension. The analyses allowed to nominate empiric categories - State presence needs, social reproduction needs, political participation needs - which answered how the health needs are recognized by the residents of the area. The analyses showed that the residents attribute to the State the responsability for the variety of services garantee which promotes the social well-being and the responsability to interpose itself and to regulate the relations between capital and work in order to promote social reproduction ruled by the right to enjoy citinzenship. The analyses also showed that the units work procedures have been established in a previous manner to the area homogenous social group needs recognition, refraining from the damages and conducted by the attention to health focalization policy logic. The overcoming of these reductions will be practicable when the work procedures are established from the recognition of these groups health needs, under the colective health view, in other words, respecting the conception of the social determination of the health-illness process and the right to health political conquest

Análise do dimensionamento da atenção materno-infantil na rede básica municipal de saúde de Taubaté-SP / Analysis of the maternal-infatile attention design in the municipal health basic system of Taubaté-SP

No presente trabalho, analisa-se o dimensionamento da atenção materno-infantil na rede básica municipal de Taubaté, no sentido de desenvolver uma metodologia que contribua para um melhor planejamento das ações e dos serviços municipais de saúde. Este estudo foi desenvolvido no município de Taubaté, tomando como objetivo todos os postos municipais que prestem assistência materno-infantil. Tem, como objetivos, verificar a distribuição dos postos de acordo com a população e as áreas geográficas do município, caracterizá-los quanto a sua capacidade física instalada, as atividades profissionais e serviços lá desenvolvidos, e analisar os percentuais de cobertura, produção e capacidade instalada desses serviços. O percurso metodológico tem início com a divisão do município em seis áreas distintas (A,B,C,D,E e F) e a localização dos serviços de saúde municipais nestas áreas. Para esta divisão são considerados os aspectos populacionais e geográficos, e, realiza-se o estudo dos recursos de saúde com foco na produtividade ou capacidade potencial dos recursos físicos e humanos que compõem estes serviços, quantificando a necessidade de consultas médicas básicas, exames de citologia oncótica e cobertura vacinal da população adstrita em cada área, rotulada neste estudo como cobertura ou meta referencial. Realiza-se a análise comparativa dos resultados alcançados em cada passo com os parâmetros estabelecidos pelo Ministério da Saúde. Para a coleta de dados, utiliza-se como fonte o programa Tabwin/DataSUS e a Ficha de Cadastro Ambulatorial do SIA-SUS do M.S. Como resultados, observa-se que 74% do total dos postos encontram-se na zona urbana, como uma média de 9.991 habitantes por posto, e esta apresenta maior capacidade potencial de consultas médicas de pediatria em relação a consultas de gineco-obstetrícia. Quanto à quantidade de consultórios médicos por área, ) observa-se que não existe uma relação com a concentração populacional. A área C apresenta maior concentração populacional, com 34% do total de habitantes, e existe uma enorme região central dessa área sem atenção materno-infantil. Na análise comparativa, chama a atenção a área D, que apresenta 90% e 119% de capacidade potencial de recursos físicos e de recursos humanos em gineco-obstetrícia, respectivamente, a mais do que sua necessidade. Verifica-se também, quando comparamos a produção dos profissionais com sua capacidade potencial, que em todas as áreas, e em ambas as especialidades médicas, estes produziram um número de consultas médicas abaixo da quantidade que poderiam produzir. Em relação às consultas de pré-natal, 86% das gestantes realizaram mais de 4 consultas por gestação, e a cobertura vacinal de crianças menores de um ano de idade, para todas as vacinas, atingiu mais que 90%. Conclui-se, primeiramente, que a metodologia utilizada é viável para atender os objetivos. O município apresenta uma quantidade de postos mal dimensionados e geograficamente mal distribuídos. Existe um número superestimado de médicos pediatras e gineco-obstetras, ociosos e mal distribuídos pelas áreas do município. Os serviços de atenção a gestantes, citologia oncótica e vacinação apresentam-se eficientes, eficazes e efetivos, atendendo plenamente a saúde da mulher e da criança, no município.

The present piece of work, analyzes the design of the maternal-infantile attention in the municipal health basic system of Taubate, as to develop a methodology that would contribute to a better action planning and municipal health services. This study has been developed in the city of Taubate, taking as object all the municipal heath stations, which provide maternal-infantile assistance. Its objectives is to verify the distribution of health stations according to the population and the geographical areas of the city, characterize them regarding their installed physical capacity, professional activities and services developed there and analyze the percentages of covering, production and installed capacity of these services. The methodological trajectory starts with the division of the city in six distinct areas (A,B,C,D,E and F) and the location of the municipal health services in these areas. For this division, the geographical and population aspects are considered and studies of the health resources are carried out with focus on productivity or potencial capacity of the human and physical resources that compose these services, quntifying the basic medical consulation needs, exams of cytology of oncology and vaccine covering of the population adjoined in each area, labeled inthis study as covering or referential goal. The comparative analysis of the results obtained is carried out in each step with the parameneters established by the Ministry of Health. For the data collecting, the program Tabwin/DataSUS and the Form of Clinic Record of SIA-SUS are used as sources, both from the Ministry of Health. It can be observed as results that 74% of all health stations are in the urban area, with 9,991 inhabitants per health station on average, and this presents greater potencial capacity of pediatric medical consultation in relation to gynecological-obstetrics consultation. As far as the number of consulting rooms existent per area is concerned, it has no relation with the population concentration. The C area presents higher population concentration, with 34% of the total of inhabitants, and there is an enormous central area of this area with maternal-infantile attention. In the comparative analysis, area D calls attention, which presents 90% and 119% of potencial capacity of physical resources and human resourses in gynecological-obstetrics, respectively, more than its needs. It can also be verified, when we compare the production of the professionales with their potential capacity, that in all areas, and in both medical specialties, those produced a number of medical consultations below the quantity they could have produced. In relation to prenatal consultation, 86% of the pregnant women went to more than 4 consultation per pregnancy, and the vaccine covering of children under one year old, for all vaccines, reached more than 90%. First of all it was concluded that the methodology used is viable in order to meet the objectives. The city presents a quantity of badly dimensioned and baldly distributed health stations. There is a super-estimated number of idler pediatric and gynecological obstetrician doctors who are badly distributed by the city areas. The attention services to pregnant women, cytology of oncology and vaccination services present themselves as efficient, efficaciuos and affective, fully meeting the needs of children and women health, in the city.