National Health System: modalities of assistance and their interrelations, a nursing vision

Abstract

The present study has had as survey question the modalities of assistance of health institutions from the National Health System (SUS) and their interrelations. So, it has been objectified to identify the different modalities of assistance for the client from SUS offered by institutions/organizations and health services in the municipal district of Rio Grande, understand the relations which they have, and the way that has been processed their interrelations in the health services and health actions. It has been built a theorical referential to support the development of the survey, by the perspective of health as a system, and having as a reference the theory of systems with approach by Bronfenbrenner (l996), among others. To obtain information it has been used as methodological way the qualitative survey, descriptive, and explanatory. The collect of data was obtained from the method of semi-structured interview being developed from August to September of 2006, with fourteen subjects: coordinators of several services to provide entrance and routing for the clients from SUS in the municipal district of Rio Grande. The last question of the interview has been left opened, creating an opportunity for the interviewees to give pertinent suggestions. The process of analysis has taken into account the categories previously established: modalities of assistance, multi-professional team and interrelations between modalities of assistance. It has been evidenced, during the analysis and interpretation of data, the different modalities of assistance offered to the users of SUS, showing that each one presents its own peculiarities and the unknowledgement of others, and maybe this is the reason for not offering them, because they could help in the offer of more actions and services to this group of clients, bringing solutions for the repressed demand and reducing the cost of hospitalizations. It has been noticed the constant presence of the multi-professional team as a fundamental element in the execution of actions and services, standing out the strong participation of the nurses. Although it has been initially presupposed that the institutions/ organizations/ services offer the modalities in a disarticulated way, it has been noticed during the development of this work, that it does not happen this way. In the three health institutions there is a great effort by workers to get the routing of the clients for exams and for a possible hospitalization or for another kind of assistance to be offered by the institutions which integrate SUS. It has been evidenced, however, that there are not formal and computerized articulations, of reference and counter-reference that could facilitate the interrelations between the services of SUS.