Differential aspects in the access to and quality of primary health care within the scope of the vaccine coverage for influenza

Abstract

A drop in the percentages of vaccination coverage in Brazil has been detected in a scenario where there is progressive growth in the coverage of Primary Health Care (PHC), namely the location where most of the vaccination actions occur. This article investigated the differences in PHC access and quality profiles among municipalities that attained or failed to attain coverage targets for influenza in 2019, stratified by vaccination priority groups. In this ecological study, we compared predictors of reaching the goal of vaccination coverage for influenza, considering access, quality, and characteristics of the munici-pality. For all groups, the set of municipalities that reached the targets had greater PHC and Family Health Strategy coverage and a greater number of Community Health Agents per thousand inhabi-tants. They also carried out more active searches for children with delayed vaccination schedules, registered the vaccination of pregnant women on the same day, had unit opening hours that met user expectations, showed greater user satisfaction with the care received and had a higher percent-age of the population with access to garbage col-lection. The variables may support decision-mak-ing about the organization of PHC services with the purpose of expanding vaccine coverage for influenza.