Current perspectives of co-management in healthcare: experiences of the Humanization Working group on primary healthcare

Abstract

The aim of this article is to describe the experience of a Humanization Work Group (GTH) as a co-management apparatus on Primary Health Care. This group is based on the National Policy for Humanization (2004). It is a qualitative study, based on participant observation (Minayo, 2004), conducted at the Núcleo Integrado de Saúde Pinheiros (NIS-Pinheiros), a Primary Care Health Unit, in the city of Maringá, Paraná. The NIS houses seven Family Health Teams, which assist around 35.000 people. Data were collected using documental analysis of the GTH meetings records, the General Meeting records, the information from the suggestion box, the experience of the students who participated of PET-Saúde (Program of Education for Health Through Work, of Brazilian's Ministry of Health), from Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). The project was conducted at NIS-Pinheiros. The results show that the GTH meetings and its extension, called "general meeting", were used as an apparatus for participation and collective construction of co-management at NIS-Pinheiros. Additionally, these apparatus shared responsibility among all the social actors involved (workers, managers and users), who could participate of the unit's planning and organization, improving the work processes and the quality of health production on primary care.