Have a personal or library account? Click to login
The challenges of promoting shared care between Primary Care and Specialized Outpatient Care in Brazil Cover

The challenges of promoting shared care between Primary Care and Specialized Outpatient Care in Brazil

By: Letícia Motta and  Natali Minoia  
Open Access
|Mar 2026

Abstract

Background: Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) is the largest public health system in the world. This system assumes and enshrines the principles of Universality, Equity and Comprehensiveness of health care for the Brazilian population. With regard to its political, organizational and operational guidelines, the principles of Decentralization, Regionalization, Hierarchy and Social Participation stand out. The SUS is managed in a tripartite manner, by the Federal Government, states and municipalities. In Brazil, the National Primary Care Policy presents the role of Primary Health Care (PHC) as the gateway to the SUS and the center of communication between Health Care Networks and its role as care coordinator and organizer of actions and services available in the Networks. The Family Health Strategy is the main strategy for providing health care close to people, families and communities, an evidence-based model that reduces inequalities in access to health and reduces the demand for hospital care.The health scenario found in the country is quite diverse, especially due to the incidence of social determinants of health, the presence of geographic barriers, since access to rural and remote regions is often exclusively through river transport. and air, the enormous ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as the great social inequalities that plague the country. With regard to SDG 3.8, the Brazilian health system stands out, which, through tripartite management, implements public policies to guarantee the fundamental right to health throughout the national scenario, throughout its territorial extension, cultural and ethnic diversity, crossing geographical barriers and social inequalities.

The Shared Care Center (NCC) between Primary Health Care (PHC) and Specialized Care (AE) has the following scope of action: 1 – Strengthen PHC processes for knowledge of its territory 2 – Strengthen planning and programming, 3 – Support and strengthen Regulation, 4 – Collaborate with the development and implementation of referral protocols from PHC to AE, 4- Promote Telehealth, 5- Collaborate with the integration of information between levels of care and SUS information systems , 6- Support the construction of a proposal for greater technological densification of PHC and 7- Monitoring and evaluation of the integration between PHC and AE.

Audience: Managers and health professionals participating in the congress.

Approach:

10 minutes – Presentation of SUS

30 minutes – Discussion of the principle of comprehensiveness, the Basic Care Policy, Specialized Care Policy and the proposed actions and activities carried out by the NCC

35 minutes – Discussion of similar and divergent strategies in other countries. Promoting the sharing of successful experiences. Activity in groups.

10 minutes – Presentation of the groups to the other colleagues.

5 minutes – Closing

Outcomes: Rapporteur for the discussion, within the scope of the Brazilian Government, of solutions for the coordination and ordering of PHC and integration of PHC with specialized attention. A view to guaranteeing the fundamental right to health for SUS users.

 

 

Language: English
Published on: Mar 24, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2026 Letícia Motta, Natali Minoia, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.