Participatory construction of the State Health Promotion Policy: a case from Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Minas Gerais started the development of the Minas Gerais Health Promotion Policy (POEPS-MG) based on the review of the National Health Promotion Policy (PNPS). This is a case report based on the documentary analysis of the material produced in the 38 workshops with a participation of 1.157 members across the State.

[Use of health services by diabetics with private health insurance compared to users of the Brazilian Unified National Health System in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil].

This study compared the use of health services and medication, screening test coverage, characteristics of primary care, and health behaviors in 370 diabetics 45 years or older according to sources of care: private health policyholders regardless of place of residence; residents in areas covered by the Family Health Strategy; and individuals covered by a "traditional" Primary Care Unit. The study used data from the 2nd Adult Health Survey in Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region (2010), Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Use of health services, use of medication, coverage of follow-up tests, alcohol abuse, and smoking did not differ significantly according to source of care.

[The influence of structural and organizational factors on the performance of primary health care in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, according to nurses and managers].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of primary health care (PHC) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, using the Portuguese-language version of the Primary Health Care Assessment Tool among nurses and managers of family health teams. Total PHC score was 0.75 (good).

[Home care effectiveness assessment in a health maintenance organization in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil].

A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the impact of a Case Management Home Care Program supplied by the Unimed-BH medical cooperative on hospitalization-free survival time among eligible patients 60 years or older. A Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to assess the impact of home visits by health professionals on hospitalization-free survival time in a sample of 2,943 elders, while adjusting for patient age, physical dependence, medicines, feeding route, pressure ulcers, supplemental oxygen therapy, cognitive impairment, outpatient visits, and hospitalizations in the preceding quarter. Risk factors for shorter hospitalization-free survival time were: degree of physical dependence, enteral nutrition, supplemental oxygen therapy, pressure ulcers, and hospital admissions in the previous quarter.

[A comparison of the Family Health Strategy to other sources of healthcare: utilization and quality of health services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil].

Indicators of healthcare utilization and quality were compared in a probabilistic sample of adults (N = 7,534) covered by private health plans, the Family Health Strategy (FHS), and "traditional" primary care clinics (UBS) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. After adjusting for demographics, health conditions, and socioeconomic status, indicators of healthcare utilization (longitudinality, health-seeking, and medical consultations) showed better performance among users of the FHS and private health plans compared to those covered by the UBS. Hospitalizations, preventive tests, and flu vaccinations varied little between sources of care.

Major expansion of primary care in Brazil linked to decline in unnecessary hospitalization.

In 1994 Brazil launched what has since become the world's largest community-based primary health care program. Under the Family Health Program, teams consisting of at least one physician, one nurse, a medical assistant, and four to six trained community health agents deliver most of their services at community-based clinics. They also make regular home visits and conduct neighborhood health promotion activities.

Intraurban differences in the use of ambulatory health services in a large brazilian city.

A major goal of health systems is to reduce inequities in access to services, that is, to ensure that health care is provided based on health needs rather than social or economic factors. This study aims to identify the determinants of health services utilization among adults in a large Brazilian city and intraurban disparities in health care use. We combine household survey data with census-derived classification of social vulnerability of each household's census tract.

[Ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations: elaboration of Brazilian list as a tool for measuring health system performance (Project ICSAP--Brazil)].

Ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations are a set of conditions for which access to effective primary care can reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. These hospitalizations have been used as an indicator of primary care performance in several countries and in three Brazilian states, but there is little consensus on which conditions should be included in this indicator. This paper presents a description of the steps undertaken to construct and validate a list for Brazil.