The health care for chronic conditions in the perception of Health professionals

Abstract

Introduction:
Chronic conditions (CC) require longitudinal and comprehensive care that is offered in an integrated health care network. Objectives: To understand, in the perception of professionals, the capacity of the health system to act in the CC, before and after an intervention, with Primary Care (PHC) as the coordination of care. Methods: This is an observational, longitudinal study, with assessment before (2013) and after (2018) the Chronic Conditions Care Model (CCM) implementation in the municipality of Santo Antonio do Monte’s health system, Minas Gerais, Brazil, focusing on three chronic conditions: Diabetes, Hypertension and Pregnant women. The CCM consists of organizing care based on the principles of territorialization, classification and risk stratification, grounded on the organization of Primary Care in the Unified Health System (SUS). The Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) scale provided the assessment, being answered by primary and secondary care professionals in the municipality. Qualitative and quantitative tools were used for data analysis. Results: The main findings showed that in the perception of health professionals there was a positive and important evolution in the institutional capacity of the municipality in caring for CC, resulting in the feasibility of implementing the CCM in the organizing logic of Primary Care in SUS. Conclusion: The present study showed that it is possible to organize an integrated model of care for chronic conditions, based on health promotion and prevention in small cities, with PHC as the coordinator of this process.