Community health workers perspective on the COVID-19 impact on primary health care in Northeastern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Pimentel Gomes Fernandes Vieira-Meyer, Anya
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Delano Soares Forte, Franklin, Maria Ximenes Guimarães, José, Feitoza Farias, Sidney, Luiz Sá de Oliveira, André, Socorro de Araújo Dias, Maria, Ferreira de Souza Monteiro, Claudete, José Guedes da Silva Júnior, Fernando, Patrícia Pereira Morais, Ana, Rosilene Candido Moreira, Maria, C. Castro, Marcia, Khizar Yousafzai, Aisha
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Cadernos de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: https://cadernos.ensp.fiocruz.br/ojs/index.php/csp/article/view/8335
• topic: Agentes Comunitarios de Saúde; Infecções por Coronavírus; COVID-19; Atenção Primária à Saúde; Agentes Comunitários de Salud; Infecciones por Coronavirus; COVID-19; Atención Primaria de Salud; Community Health Workers; Coronavirus Infection; COVID-19; Primary Health Care

This article evaluates the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the Family Health Strategy (FHS) team’s work routines across a range of northeast Brazilian cities as perceived by community health workers (CHW). Data on COVID-19, CHW activities, and FHS teams were collected in 2021 by a structured questionnaire. A total of 1,935 CHWs from four state capitals (Fortaleza – Ceará State, João Pessoa – Paraíba State, Recife – Pernambuco State, Teresina – Piauí State) and four hinterland cities (Crato, Juazeiro do Norte, Barbalha, Sobral – Ceará State) participated in the study. Most CHWs were women (82.42%), with mean age 46.25±8.54 years. Many (39.92%) were infected with COVID-19, of which 70.78% believed they were infected in the workplace. A total of 77.82% defined their role as frontline in the fight against COVID-19, 16.07% reported receiving training for COVID-19, and 13.74% had access to sufficient protective equipment. Most (90.27%) believed their work routines were modified by the pandemic, either strengthening (41.46%) or weakening (44.41%) the team spirit. Home visits (60.55%), health promotion actions in schools (75.66%) and in specific community groups (93.96%), and other on-site community services (66.01%) showed a reduction in frequency. The sampled cities revealed a significant heterogeneity regarding responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly associated with a lack of coordination by the Federal Government. Regardless of context, the pandemic led to a reconfiguration of local health systems, workflows, and primary care protocols for FHS teams. The importance of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and its potential for reorganization during crisis should be acknowledged while preserving the headway made thus far.