Conceitos de regulação em saúde no Brasil

Abstract

The healthcare regulatory concepts used in Brazilian scientifi c publications on healthcare management were reviewed. A typo-logical classifi cation for regulatory concepts was developed from the most current ideas in fi ve disciplines: life sciences, law, economics, sociology and political science. Four ideas stood out: control, balance, adaptation and direction, with greatest emphasis on the technical nature of regulation. The political nature of regulation was secondary. It was considered that dis-cussion of healthcare regulatory concepts was connected with comprehension of the role that the state plays in this sector. De-fi nition of the forms of state intervention is the key convergence point between the different ways of conceptualizing healthcare regulation.