Contextual aspects of co-management implementation in Basic Health Units

Abstract

The National Humanization Policy aims to promote the ideological principles advocated by the Unified Health System. Co-management is one of its guidelines. This article aims to describe and understand how contextual aspects favor or limit co-management within the Primary Care. The study is empirical and qualitative, developed in two health units, one traditional and one with a Family Health Strategy (FHS). The data was collected by immersion in the field and a field notes, to record observations and reflections, wich where analysed by thematic categorization. As results, the contextual aspects of the FHS are described: opening hours, multi-professional team and need for meetings, training of doctors, community agents, and organization of the physical space as facilitators to co-management. The contextual elements of the traditional unit, on the other hand: organizational structure, medical model and absence of meetings, opening hours, physical space, hinder co-management. The analysis could be usefull to promote initiatives that consider the importance of structure, in addition to the protagonism of the subjects, as essential for the process of change.