Relatório técnico: caracterização do processo de trabalho das equipes de Atenção Primária à Saúde nas macrorregiões da Bahia

Abstract

Introduction: The work process in Primary Health Care (PHC) is fundamental for the effectiveness of the healthcare network and must be organized to ensure access and quality of actions and services, in accordance with the principles of the Unified Health System (SUS). This study aimed to map the work process in PHC in Bahia, focusing on access, the balance between scheduled consultations and walk-in visits, as well as the management of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Objective: To characterize user access to Family Health Teams (eSF) and Primary Care Teams (eAP) in the macro-regions of Bahia, identifying the profile of the types of care provided by physicians, nurses, and dentists in these macro-regions. Methodology: This technical report is based on data extracted from the Primary Care Health Information System (SISAB) for the first quarter of 2023. The following descriptors were used: type of production (individual and dental care), practices, and conditions evaluated by physicians, nurses, and dentists. The data obtained were organized in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, arranged by municipalities, number of consultations, and their respective macro-regions. Additionally, proportions related to the evaluated indicators were calculated, with the results presented in graphs generated by the software. Results: Regarding the type of care, physicians showed similar proportions between scheduled consultations (50.06%) and walk-in visits (49.94%). For nursing care, walk-in visits predominated (58.92%) over scheduled consultations (41.08%). In dental care, Bahia recorded the highest proportion of follow-up visits (62.38%). The most frequent care provided by nurses in the macro-regions comes from walk-in visits. For physicians, the scenario is different in some macro-regions: in the Extreme South, North, South, and East regions, scheduled consultations prevail, with the East region standing out, where the percentage of scheduled consultations reaches 60%. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the diversity in access and use patterns of health services in Primary Health Care (PHC) across the macro-regions of Bahia. The balance between scheduled consultations and walk-in visits varies according to professional category and the macro-region analyzed, reflecting differences in local dynamics and the strategies adopted by health teams. The predominance of walk-in visits in nursing care points to the need for further analysis of the impact of this care profile on work process organization and longitudinal user follow-up. In the case of dental care, the high proportion of follow-up visits indicates that monitoring and continuity of care are well-structured aspects but also raises questions about the capacity to respond to new demands, which deserve further investigation.