[Intensive home-based care: is it a possible reality for the public health system?]

A qualitative investigation characterized as an exploratory study of individual case. The guiding point was inquiring into how the Public Health System (SUS) provides intensive home-based care. The study was aimed at analyzing how this health support is made available--that is, what kind of assistance is given and what is the equipment maintenance and warranty like--and at examining how the subject of this study obtained this service, that is, how the service reached him/her and how long it usually takes to do so. The results show that the paths to get life support are full of obstacles and that this path in search of home-based care through the SUS dynamics involves bureaucracy, professionals, and equipment that often make it difficult for the population to have access to public health services.