HOME CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN PORTO ALEGRE

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON PRODUCTION AND USER PROFILE

Abstract

Objective: To describe the production and profile of Home Care (HC) users of Primary Health Care (PHC) in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Method: This is a descriptive exploratory study with a quantitative approach based on public secondary data related to the production of HC/PHC in 2019 and 2023. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. Results: A 661% increase in the registration of HC/PHC production was verified in the year 2023. The records of nurses and doctors increased by 1,383% and 734%, respectively. The production of community health agents (CHA) increased by 43.5%. The most prevalent reasons for visits by CHA were periodic visit, guidance/prevention, active search and registration/updating. The profile of HC users identified was 63% female and 63.9% elderly. Conclusion: The HC/PHC of the city of Porto Alegre showed a significant increase in production records, especially in the records of nurses and doctors. This finding may be related to a greater appreciation of records and goals, which occurred after the contracting started in 2019. The care profile is mostly composed of women and elderly people, with hypertension and diabetes being the health conditions most monitored by CHAs. The results obtained provide important information to health professionals, for the qualification of their work processes, and to managers, for health planning.