Attributes of primary health care in the view of health professionals: a scoping review.

Abstract

Objective: To identify the scientific evidence on the performance of PHC, based on the presence and extent of its attributes, in the view of nurses and physicians.

Method: Scoping review according to the recommendations of the Joanna Brigss Institute, carried out between January 2023 on eight databases, and updated in December 2023. The keywords "primary health care assessment" and "quality of primary health care" were used. Articles in any language were included, which used the PCATool-Brazil instrument, professional version, with a population of nurses and physicians.

Results: Nineteen studies were included, published between 2012 and 2022, in nine Brazilian states. The overall average of PHC performance ranged from 6.5 to 8.2 and only two of the total indicated low performance of PHC services. Regarding the attributes, accessibility showed the worst performance and family orientation the best in all the studies. Specialization and statutory employment were predominantly frequent as associated factors.

Conclusion: The results show that access to health services still needs to be strengthened and/or expanded and that, on the other hand, factors such as training and worker attachment strengthen PHC performance.