Accessibility to Primary Health Care services in rural municipalities of Brazil

Abstract

The article aimed to analyze aspects related to the structure of the primary healthcare units and of the organization of the work process of health teams associated with socio-organizational accessibility to Primary Healthcare services in rural municipalities of Brazil.  Data from this cross-sectional descriptive study derives from an external assessment tool of the 3rd cycle of the Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Primary Healthcare carried out in 2017, applied to 8,711 Family Health teams from 2,940 rural municipalities, in which the modules comprising the tool were used as a basis for the construction of the Logical Framework and definition of the variables validated by consensus of the researchers of the area.  Data is presented in absolute frequencies and percentages, processed using a software. The results disclose aspects that interfere in the accessibility of individuals to the services: weaknesses in the structure of the healthcare units; in access to information technologies by professionals; in the limited availability of immunobiologics and diagnostic tests; and indications of issues in the work process of the teams.  Most small-sized Brazilian municipalities are short of other levels of healthcare, which reinforces the importance of a structured primary healthcare in such locations.