Trabalho, Educação e Saúde - TES (Work, Education and Health) is an open access scientific journal, edited by the Joaquim Venâncio Polytechnic School of Health, from Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.
The fragmentation of care makes it difficult to achieve the guidelines proposed for the Brazilian Unified Health System, especially comprehensiveness, and users experience discontinuity of care. This study aimed to analyze coordination between levels of care, based on the perceptions of users and specialized care professionals, in the context of two healthcare networks in Brazil that have implemented the Health Care Planning Strategy, with a focus on maternal and child care. This was an evaluative and descriptive study involving 16 participants (six users and ten professionals). Semi-structured interviews were analyzed, addressing three dimensions of care coordination: information, clinical and administrative management. Progress was observed in the creation of care plans, matrix support actions and the role of Primary Health Care in ordering care. However, there was a dependency on users to exchange information, a lack of integration with hospital care, a shortage of specialists and high professional turnover. Despite the progress made by the Health Care Planning Strategy in organizing care flows, fragmentation in information sharing and coordination between levels compromises continuity of care.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim VenâncioYou may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6305-4127