Support Center for Family Health Care: analysis of a decade of normative production by the Ministry of Health

Abstract

Background

We bring to the scene the Primary Health Care and the Support Center for Family Health (NASF) in Brazil, a multi-professional team that provides qualified support to other professionals in the Family Health Strategy.

Objective

Describe the trajectory of a decade of NASF (2008-2018) and its expansion in this period. Method: Content analysis of documents produced by the Ministry of Health, between January and September 2008. The results were organized in a chronological line, with analysis of the most frequent work tools and implementation data.

Results

There are 11 ordinances, 13 written materials, and 7 videos as technical and pedagogical support for Core Actions practices. Although exposed to successive legal changes, there has been a considerable expansion in these 10 years of existence, not only in the number of teams, but also in the insertion of 19 professional categories and their multiple possibilities of action. The documents point to NASF's strategy of action through matrix support, although the current National Primary Care Policy does not recognize it.

Conclusion

Knowing the trajectory of NASF is relevant for understanding the changes that have occurred and the proposals that will arise. A decade is little time to consolidate an innovative practice in a country whose direction through normative changes can move at a much greater speed.

Keywords:
Family Health; Primary Health Care; Regulatory Frameworks