[Therapeutic itineraries: state of the art of scientific production in Brazil]. / Itinerários terapêuticos: o estado da arte da produção científica no Brasil.

Knowledge about the itineraries of people seeking healthcare may contribute to our understanding of behavior in relation to healthcare and utilization of health services. In Brazil, however, despite their relevance there have been few studies into healthcare-seeking behavior and those available are relatively new and have not received the attention they deserve from health researchers and managers. This article presents the results of a survey of the Brazilian scientific literature on this subject published in the past 20 years, describing and analyzing the approaches used. Data were collected between September and November 2008 through the portal of the Virtual Health Library. The search located 11 articles and content analysis was used to generate categories. The majority of these studies are grounded in socio-anthropological theory, and the main focus of interest is the patient's perception of disease and treatment. Only a few of these publications address patients' access to and utilization of health services. It is argued that the study of healthcare-seeking behavior can be an important tool for improving the quality of healthcare.

Itinerários terapêuticos: o estado da arte da produção científica no Brasil / Therapeutic itineraries: state of the art of scientific production in Brazil

O conhecimento sobre os itinerários de pessoas em busca de atenção à saúde pode contribuir para compreensão sobre o comportamento em relação ao cuidado e utilização de serviços de saúde. Apesar de sua potencialidade, os estudos sobre itinerários terapêuticos não tem expressão conhecida no Brasil. Este artigo busca apresentar um levantamento da produção científica nacional sobre o assunto nos últimos 20 anos, descrevendo e analisando as abordagens realizadas. Os dados foram coletados durante os meses de setembro e novembro de 2008 através do portal da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde. A busca resultou em 11 artigos que foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo por meio de categorização. Observou-se que os estudos sobre itinerários terapêuticos no Brasil são recentes e pouco explorados por pesquisadores e gestores. A abordagem socioantropológica oferece suporte teórico à maioria dos estudos realizados. O principal foco de interesse é a percepção do paciente sobre a doença e tratamento. Poucos são os estudos que nessa discussão associam aspectos sobre o acesso e utilização dos serviços e fatores relacionados ao contexto do paciente. Conclui-se que o estudo sobre itinerários terapêuticos pode ser uma importante ferramenta para a qualificação da assistência.

Knowledge about the itineraries of people seeking healthcare may contribute to our understanding of behavior in relation to healthcare and utilization of health services. In Brazil, however, despite their relevance there have been few studies into healthcare-seeking behavior and those available are relatively new and have not received the attention they deserve from health researchers and managers. This article presents the results of a survey of the Brazilian scientific literature on this subject published in the past 20 years, describing and analyzing the approaches used. Data were collected between September and November 2008 through the portal of the Virtual Health Library. The search located 11 articles and content analysis was used to generate categories. The majority of these studies are grounded in socio-anthropological theory, and the main focus of interest is the patient's perception of disease and treatment. Only a few of these publications address patients' access to and utilization of health services. It is argued that the study of healthcare-seeking behavior can be an important tool for improving the quality of healthcare.