Functioning of the citizen’s electronic medical records in the prison system

Abstract

This paper aimed to describe the implementation and operation of the e-SUS AB strategy in the Prison Primary Care Teams in Pa-raíba. A qualitative study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 21 professionals, doctors, and nurses, from 11 primary care teams in prisons in Paraíba and the health management of the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat. A semi-structured roadmap was adopted for the interviews from the script previously established by the Ministry of Health for the implementation of the e-SUS AB system, which resulted in three thematic categories after being transcribed and analyzed per Bardin’s content analysis proposal: the health information system and the prison set-ting; management actions for the implementation of the e-SUS AB and; skills and competencies of professionals to use the e-SUS AB system. The e-SUS AB was implemented in the prison system with some obstacles concerning the physical and technological structure of the setting, the insuffi-cient professional training, and the lack of skills with information technologies highlighted by the respondents. People feel the need to implement the citizen’s electronic medical records to ensure continuity of care for people deprived of liberty.