Estudo qualitativo da percepção de usuários hipertensos e diabéticos sobre saúde na Atenção Primária

Objective The study describes the perceptions of hypertensive and diabetic users regarding the health care provided in Basic Health Units. Methods The basic methods adopted were a qualitative study that took place in the city of Itapeva (SP) in 2015, semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 12 users older than 18 during the course of one month, and, finally, a thematic analysis for interpretation. Results Two main axes were identified, namely: 1) Experience of health care and 2) Accessibility in health care. In the first axis, six sub-axes were identified: reception, difficulties in service, scheduled agenda, meeting spontaneous demand, concentration on medical specialties, access to emergency services. On the second axis, the sub-axes discussed were the difficulty and ease of transporting the patient to the emergency department. Conclusion In the studied scenario, users who felt welcome perceived the attention received as resolving. This scenario suggests that there are limitations in the studied spaces as to the execution of tasks that are the competence of Primary Health Care and that the way that care is being provided has not favored the correct understanding of the functioning of Primary Health Care as proposed by the National Ministry of Health. Health education and user empowerment in the face of their chronic conditions are possible strategies consolidating the expanded clinic. There is a relevant need to further study and explore the users’ perception of health care in order to understand the barriers and positive points of the service, and thus assist in their strategic planning of actions, programs, and activities aimed at users with chronic non-communicable diseases.