EVALUATION OF CHILDCARE ACTIONS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate childcare actions in primary health care. Method: This is a descriptive and evaluative study with a quantitative approach, carried out in the municipality of Caxias, located in northeastern Brazil. To this end, the instrument developed by Starfield and validated by the Ministry of Health entitled Primary Care Assessment Tools (PCA Tools) was used, version for children, according to the pillars of primary health care, understood in structuring elements, that is, attributes of the health service system, which are: first contact access, comprehensiveness, longitudinality, coordination, family and community orientation and cultural competence. Results: A positive evaluation of parents and caregivers about the health services offered by primary health care in northeastern Brazil was evidenced, with high average scores for most of the attributes evaluated. The "degree of affiliation" stood out with a mean close to 10.0, while attributes such as "coordination - integration of care" and "comprehensiveness - services provided" presented relatively lower scores, suggesting areas for improvement. Final considerations: Although the services have a positive evaluation by the majority of parents and caregivers, indicating high satisfaction scores, it is important to understand that there are still areas that need improvement, especially in areas related to the attributes of coordination and comprehensiveness of care offered in childcare actions.