MANAGEMENT IN THE CARE OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

Abstract

Objective: to understand the best management practices in the health care provided to people living with HIV in Primary Health Care services from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Method: a qualitative research study anchored in the Constructivist Grounded Theory. The study participants were nurses and managers involved with management practices in the care provided to people living with HIV in the municipality. The data were collected between July and September 2020 from intensive interviews with 12 nurses in four Basic Health Units and with five managers of the Municipal Health Department, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, totaling 17 participants. Data collection and analysis took place concomitantly, following the initial and focused coding phases. Results: this resulted in the phenomenon entitled “Unveiling the best management practices in the care provided to people living with HIV related to decentralized, shared and evidence-based care”, supported by three categories that point to decentralization of the clinical management of the HIV infection to Primary Health Care in Florianópolis, to instrumentalization and training of professionals to manage the infection through the use of scientific evidence, and to the care practices developed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: decentralization of care for people living with HIV to Primary Health Care was presented as the foundation of the best practices, supported by teamwork and evidence-based clinical management.