title: The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program in Northeast: evaluation of hospitalizations for Primary Healthcare-sensitive conditions.
abstract: This paper analyzes the increase in professionals in Brazil's Northeastern Region resulting from the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program. The scale of the increase was analyzed through the indicator Hospitalizations for Primary-Care Sensitive Conditions (HPSCs). The method used was a quantitative approach, based on data on distribution of doctors and service they provided in these states, and on hospitalizations for diarrhea and gastroenteritis in the period September 2012 to August 2015. The choice of this condition took into account the aspects of: its high frequency in the period; the simplicity of intervention; and its historic occurrence in the Northeast. The results show that the Mais Médicos Program had an influence on the reduction of hospitalizations for this type of condition - they fell by 35% in the period investigated, with important differences between the states. In spite of the significant scale of the entry of medical professionals into the health system, it is known that in isolation simply increasing the number of professionals of a particular type has a limited effect in improving primary healthcare.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Pernambuco. Av. Cardoso de Sá s/n, Vila Eduardo. 56328-903 Petrolina PE Brasil. rogeriofabiano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rogério Fabiano
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Pernambuco. Av. Cardoso de Sá s/n, Vila Eduardo. 56328-903 Petrolina PE Brasil. rogeriofabiano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Islândia Maria Carvalho de
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Prática de Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, USP. São Paulo SP Brasil.
authors.forename: Oswaldo Yoshimi
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Saúde Coletiva, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Vitória de Santo Antão PE Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos Renato Dos
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Saúde Coletiva, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Vitória de Santo Antão PE Brasil.
authors.forename: Keila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brito-Silva
authors.affiliation: Centro Acadêmico do Agreste, UFPE. Caruaru PE Brasil.
authors.forename: Lara Ximenes
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Social, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, UFPE. Recife PE Brasil.
authors.forename: Adriana Falangola Benjamin
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bezerra
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006078:Government Programs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D000078329:Workforce