Continuity of care between care levels: experiences of users in a municipal health network

Abstract

This study analyzes the experiences of users on the continuity of clinical management between care levels. This is a cross-sectional quantitative study that uses data from a survey conducted with 407 users of a public health network in Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil, in 2017 and 2018. The experiences on the continuity of clinical management were explored from two dimensions: coherence of care and accessibility between levels of care. Users presented more positive opinions about coherence of care than accessibility. Regarding coherence of care, most users reported that primary and specialized care physicians agree on diagnosis, treatment, and recommendations, and that the primary care physician refers them to a specialist when necessary. Only 43% of users reported collaboration between physicians to solve their health problems. Concerning accessibility, most users (77.2%) reported a long waiting time for the consultation with a specialist and less than half (48.9%) reported delay for primary care. The results of this study coincide with other investigations and highlight the need to promote strategies for achieving effective integration of care networks and thus provide users with greater continuity of health care.