Saúde mental e a continuidade do cuidado em centros de saúde de Belo Horizonte, MG

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To analyze factors associated with the continuity of mental health care provided for patients referred to healthcare centers. METHODS:A follow-up study was carried out with 98 patients assisted between 2003 and 2004. These patients were referred to eight healthcare centers with mental health teams located in the catchment area of a mental health reference venter in the city of Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil. Social, demographic, clinical and continuity variables were described and then compared using the chi-square test. RESULTS:After referral, 35 patients did not attend the fi rst visit in the healthcare center. Of those who did, 38 continued in treatment. To return to the reference center for a new visit after referral and to have had more than two referrals were factors that facilitated continuity of care. No individual characteristic was associated with continuity. CONCLUSIONS:The fi ndings suggest that there is a gap in the proposal for the line of care. Treatment continuity seems to be more related to service factors than to patients' characteristics.

Systematic review of pathways to mental health care in Brazil: narrative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative studies

“…A single study, in Belo Horizonte-MG in 2003, evaluated the de-escalation of care [ 43 ], investigating adults with mental disorder that were referred to primary care by a community MH service. The study found that 36% of patients referred after treatment never reached primary care.…”

“…A study done in 1998 in a community mental health service in Belo Horizonte [ 43 ] identified that 17% of their patients came from spontaneous demand, while 30% were referred by primary care, 26% from psychiatric hospitals and 27% from other services.…”

Desafios Na Construção De Uma Rede De Atenção Em Saúde Mental

“…Nesse sentido, pode-se inferir que a limitação na continuidade do cuidado a portadores de transtornos mentais nos serviços de saúde não está associada a atributos individuais dos pacientes, mas sim a fatores de contexto, incluindo a (des)organização do sistema de saúde do município (11) . Assim, é necessário que o significado, bem como o funcionamento da rede esteja claro no modo de pensar e de agir de cada trabalhador para que, de fato, o usuário portador de transtornos mentais tenha suas demandas atendidas de modo integral e satisfatório e para que não seja prejudicada a continuidade do cuidado para esses sujeitos.…”

Medical education and leadership: a call to action for Brazil’s mental health system

“…This lack of adequate funding not only inhibits the creation of outpatient clinics but also the necessary expansion of professional training and networks, inevitably leading to under-diagnosis, inefficient treatment and poor patient management. 4 , 7 - 10 …”