Doctors at home: the importance of home care and its daily challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7262.rmrp.2025.221735Keywords:
Doctors, Home care services, Primary health care, Unified health system, National health strategiesAbstract
Home care, which encompasses health activities carried out in the personal environment, has emerged as an essential field of study to improve healthcare services and to provide relevant data for both managers and health professionals. This study aimed to explore the perception of physicians (N=17) on the topic. The research was conducted in a medium-sized city in the countryside of São Paulo, through semi-structured interviews, and a descriptive analysis of the data was performed, integrating the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS) approach. The participant group was predominantly composed of professionals aged between 20 and 30 years, and most had been in their current positions for less than 12 months, with specialization in Family and Community Medicine. It is noteworthy that all professionals performed home-care practices. The results showed significant consensus among participants regarding the strategic importance of home care as an essential means of accessing healthcare. During home visits, physicians shared experiences involving various procedures, highlighting the need for advanced technical knowledge. They also emphasized the relevance of humanized and continuous care. However, despite recognizing the benefits of home care, the professionals identified substantial challenges, such as the lack of resources and support necessary to guarantee the effectiveness of these practices. Restrictions imposed by users also highlight the complexity of interactions during home-care encounters. Thus, it is concluded that physicians emphasized the importance of home care in healthcare delivery, highlighting its undeniable benefits. Nevertheless, significant challenges associated with this practice were also noted, underscoring the need for broader approaches and adequate resources to optimize the effectiveness of home care within the Family Health Strategy.
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