title: Access to surgical assistance: challenges and perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to characterize the access to surgical assistance in Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  documentary study, with a quantitative approach, developed from information of the Caixa Preta da Saúde [Health Black Box] database, of the Brazilian Medical Association.
  
  
  RESULTS
  in the one-year period 3773 cases related to health care in Brazil were recorded. There were 458 (12.3%) records on surgical assistance. Of these, most, 339 (74.1%), involved the lack of access in all regions of Brazil. The main access constraint was the prolonged waiting time for surgery. Other constraints were the excessive waiting for medical appointment with experts, doing examinations and cancellation of surgeries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the access to surgical assistance, by users of the Brazilian health system, is not widely guaranteed, reinforcing the need for integrated governmental actions, organization of the health care network, management of health care and human resources to overcome the challenges imposed to achieve the Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage.
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda do Prado
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Tostes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Paraná, Paranavaí, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Rocha
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Covre
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Alexandre Molena
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D061665:Time-to-Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*