Filling out the race/skin color item in the patient identification form: aspects of its implementation in a university hospital

Abstract

Thirteen years after the publication of the National Policy for the Comprehensive Health of the Black Population (PNSIPN, Política Nacional da Saúde Integral da População Negra), filling out the race/skin color question in the patient identification form remains a challenge. Authors have focused on the need to integrate knowledge from the science of implementation into public policies. The aim of this article is to describe and analyze the implementation of the collection of the race/skin color item carried out by the professionals responsible for the registration of patients at a university hospital in the city of São Paulo. This was an exploratory and descriptive study, structured from three constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR): intervention, internal scenario and characteristics of individuals. Most records of race/skin color in the observed institution are made by heteroidentification. Based on the CFIR constructs, aspects identified as obstacles and facilitators are identified. The implementation of the collection of the race/skin color item by self-declaration, as provided for in the PNSIPN and in Ordinance n. 344/2017, is still incipient and depends mainly on organizational changes, which can favor its effectiveness.

Key words:
Racial/ethnic classification; Black population health; Public health policies; Health care research; Implementation science