Care to users of alcohol and other drugs and the limits of network arrangements

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative study was to understand the connections between the care services for mental health and users of alcohol and other drugs, considering the view of health care professionals. A focal group was developed with 10 Family Health Strategy workers in 2011. Thematic content analysis revealed that the disconnection between mental health care services is a limiting factor to the arrangement of the network, as well as to clients’ access to services. Accessibility barriers are established by the difficulty that health care services have to embrace patients and their reproduction of the hegemonic model, which prioritizes referrals to specialist services. The insufficient qualification to work as a network reveals the workers’ limitations, pointing at a need for matrix support in mental health. The urgency to rethink practices is highlighted as a way to (re)organize service structure, aiming at building a network for care in mental health.

Descriptors: Mental Health; Primary Health Care; Delivery of Health Care; Nursing Care; Substance-Related Disorders.