Analysis of problems associated with the quality standards of primary care in the Federal District

Abstract

This article analyzes the priority problems established in the local management action plans within the scope of the Federal District’s Primary Health Care Qualification Program – QualisPHC. It is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, based on the self-assessment described in the Quality Action Plans drawn up by 100 managers of the Primary Health Care Service Departments in 2022. The results showed that of the five dimensions of the quality self-assessment instrument, user care and work organization are the key ones for improving Primary Health Care. In the thematic analysis of the problems, critical nodes were identified that indicate priorities for intervention by managers: territorialization; planning and monitoring; communication with users; work organization; structure; qualification of professionals; and the pandemic. The results show that the continuous process of identifying priorities is essential to support health planning by managers and teams, and the QualisPHC is a good step towards fostering experiences with a strategic planning approach in other local systems.