Characteristics of primary healthcare service use in the southern and northeastern regions of Brazil: Differences by care model

Abstract

In view of the emphasis on primary care for the health system and the consolidation of Family Healthcare Strategy, it is important that information on attended demand be updated to assist in administration of the Unified Health System (UHS). The study compared the profile of attended demand in basic healthcare units (BHU) of two care models (traditional and family health) in 240 BHU of seven states of the South and the Northeast. Collected on a prepared form, all patients attended in a single day were processed with the PACOTAPS application. 26,019 patients were attended, 52% in the South and 48% in the Northeast; one third in Traditional BHU and 67% in BHU of FHP. The highest proportion of patients attended was females aged between 15 and 49 (36%), with significant differences between the models, being higher in BHU of FHP. The second highest proportion was people aged 50 or older (30%), significantly higher in Traditional BHU. The most commonly registered procedures were basic nursing cases (33%), with higher proportion in Traditional BHCU. The proportion of medical appointments was 22%, double in Traditional BHCU. The profile of the demand reflected the differences between the ongoing care models in the country and may provide the organization of work processes in basic care.