Longitudinality in Primary Health Care: a comparison between care models

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Primary Health Care

Background:

• Longitudinality, a key attribute of primary health care, ensures continuity of care over time.
• Different primary health care models may impact the delivery and perception of longitudinal care.
• Understanding factors associated with longitudinality is crucial for optimizing healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the attribute of longitudinality across various primary health care assistance models.
• To examine the association between longitudinality and demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1076 adult primary care users in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.
• The Primary Care Assessment Tool was utilized to assess high (≥6.6) or low (<6.6) scores for longitudinality.
• Poisson regression analysis was employed to determine associations with independent variables.

Main Results:

• Longitudinality was better assessed within the Family Health Strategy (FHS) model.
• Key associated factors included patient age, housing health region, and the specific care model utilized.
• The FHS model demonstrated a stronger capacity for delivering continuous and longitudinal care.

Conclusions:

• The Family Health Strategy is identified as a significant promoter of longitudinal care.
• Expansion of the FHS model coverage is recommended to enhance the quality of primary health care.
• Findings support the FHS as an effective model for ensuring continuity and quality in primary care.