Hospitalization due to conditions sensitive to primary care and expansion of the Family Health Program in Brazil: an ecological study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between hospitalization due to conditions that are sensitive to primary care and the population coverage by the Family Health Strategy (ESF) Units of the Brazilian Federation Units in the last decade.


METHODS
This is an ecological study that investigated preventable hospitalizations and coverage of primary health care in Brazil in the historic series from 1998 to 2006. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation test and simple linear regression.


RESULTS
In the studied period, we found an association between population coverage and reduced ESF admissions for primary care sensitive conditions in Brazil (β = -28.78, p ≤ 0.01), which occurred in 38.4% of the Federation Units.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a positive relationship between the expansion of ESF coverage and a decline in hospitalizations for ACSC in the country. The findings of this study help to evaluate the ESF and primary care in Brazil.
Nursing School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Roger Flores
RF
Ceccon
Nursing School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Stela Nazareth
SN
Meneghel
Institute of Cardiology of Cruz Alta, Universidade de Cruz Alta, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Paulo Ricardo Nazário
PR
Viecili
D001938:Brazil; D005192:Family Health; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care