Structure and process in primary health care for children and spatial distribution of infant mortality

To identify the spatial patterns of the quality of the structure of primary health care services and the teams' work process and their effects on infant mortality in Brazil.

An ecological study of spatial aggregates, using the 5,570 municipalities in Brazil as the unit of analysis. Secondary databases from the Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e Qualidade da Atenção Básica (PMAQ-AB - National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care), the Mortality Information System (SIM), and the Live Birth Information System (SINASC) were used. In 2018, the infant mortality rate was the outcome of the study, and the exposure variables were the proportion of basic health units (BHU) with adequate structure and work processes. Global and local Moran's indices were used to evaluate the degree of dependence and spatial autocorrelation. Spatial linear regression was used for data analysis.

In 2018, in Brazil, the infant mortality rate was 12.4/1,000 live births, ranging from 10.6/1,000 and 11.2/1,000 in the South and Southeast, respectively, to 14.1/1,000 and 14.5/1,000 in the Northeast and North regions, respectively. The proportion of teams with an adequate work process (β = -3.13) and the proportion of basic health units with an adequate structure (β = -0.34) were associated with a reduction in the infant mortality rate. Spatial autocorrelation was observed between smoothed mean infant mortality rates and indicators of the structure of primary health care services and the team's work process, with higher values in the North and Northeast of Brazil.

There is a relationship between the structure of primary health care services and the teams' work process with the infant mortality rate. In this sense, investment in the qualification of health care within the scope of primary health care can have an impact on reducing the infant mortality rate and improving child health care.