Amplifying access: Team embracement as a demand management strategy in primary health care (APS)

Abstract

Experiences of access reorganization to promote the utilization of health services in a rational and inclusive way have been frequent in the sphere of the Family Health Strategy. This study focuses on one of these experiences through the implementation of “Team Embracement” in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, State of São Paulo, Brazil. A qualitative case study investigated the experience of 12 Family Health Strategy professionals. It was concluded that Team Embracement was a product of the workers’ protagonism, as they dared to assume demand management to produce changes. The main results include a significant reduction in the waiting time for medical appointments and the greater satisfaction of the individuals involved, indicating that Team Embracement is a positive experience that has amplified the access to health services and has tackled one of the greatest problems of the Brazilian National Health System.