Survey of mental health care technologies in primary health units in São Paulo State

Abstract

Brazilian National Mental Health Policy has considered as strategic the Primary Health Care System role in the promotion, prevention, care, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and coordination of care directed to the needs of mental health problems. Despite the Department of Health's investment in some devices for organization and care management in mental health and despite the initiatives of São Paulo state in the construction of a Psychosocial Care Network and the implementation of the line of care in mental health, it has not been systematically focused technical guidance for detailed management of mental health needs and problems (protocols and attention flows), and it has been lacking investments in the acknowledgement, selection and implementation of care technologies. While it is possible, through the SIA/SUS, to identify procedures performed by mental health professionals in primary care (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists), the data obtained are only quantitative and do not include all of the mental health actions made by other professionals also present in primary care units. This study aims to map interventions and care technologies used in Units of Basic Health of São Paulo state directed to the promotion and management of mental health, in order to identify its nature, its objectives, selection criteria, their characteristics and ways of application. The specific objectives are: to see how the problems, needs and opportunities for intervention in mental health are identified; to know how the primary care services have organized the work process, attention flow and partnerships for action on mental health; and to identify the supplied logic care, interventions and technologies used in primary care units to meet the demands related to mental suffering. With these goals, a survey will be conducted, collecting data through telephone interviews with professionals of primary care units. It will be drawn a stratified sample of 1,000 health units. Strata shall be built by grouping of units according to the number of inhabitants and the existence of psychiatric hospitals in the cities where they are located. In addition to the strata, the groups of units located according the existence of mental health professionals and the unit type (traditional or Family Health Strategy), it will also be considered domains of study. This study aims to obtain an overview of interventions and technologies as well as the logic care offered in the Basic Health Network of São Paulo State in order to meet the mental health needs and problems. It is intended to contribute with health managers in planning and qualifying these actions, by identifying the solutions and responses currently offered, as well as existing gaps and inconsistencies. (AU)