Access to and use of the services of the family health strategy from the perspective of managers, professionals and users/ Acesso e utilizacao dos servicos na Estrategia Saude da Familia na perspectiva dos gestores, profissionais e usuarios

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva 2013-11, Vol.18 (11), p.3321
• Main Authors: Reis, Regimarina Soares, Coimbra, Liberata Campos, da Silva, Antonio Augusto Moura, dos Santos, Alcione Miranda, de Britto, Maria Teresa Seabra Soares Alves, Lamy, Zeni Carvalho, Ribeiro, Sabrina Varao Oliveira, Dias, Maria Socorro de Araujo, da Silva, Raimundo Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561

Questionnaires adapted to the Brazilian reality (Primary Care Assessment Tool) to evaluate access to and use of services were distributed to 30 managers, 80 professionals and a random sample of 882 Family Health Strategy (FHS) users in Sao Luis in the state of Maranhao. The differences between the evaluations of managers, professionals and users were identified by the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post test. Users faced difficulties in access to and use of the services, which were also considered unsatisfactory by managers and professionals. Access was the dimension with the worst evaluation, and non-functioning of units after 6 p.m. and at weekends were the main difficulties. The evaluations of the managers and professionals were almost always divergent from those of the users, with the evaluation of the managers being more favorable. The fact that the service was free of charge, the use of preventive services and the FHS services before the specialized care were well evaluated. The operation of units should attend users' needs, especially that of the working population. Strengthening social participation in local management of the FHS may assist in identifying these needs, thereby reducing the divergent opinions of the players involved.