THE FAMILY HEALTH STRATEGY AND HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS IN THE NORTHEAST OF BRAZIL
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between the expansion of the Family Health Strategy and hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions in older adults. METHODS: This ecological study was conducted from June to October 2019. The units of analysis were all states in the Northeast of Brazil, and the historical outline included the period from 2008 to 2018. Data on the coverage of the Family Health Strategy and hospitalizations were extracted from the Primary Care Information and Management System and the Hospital Information System. For the association analysis, Spearman coefficients (r) were calculated at a 95% confidence interval (p < 0.05) using STATA, version 13.0. An absolute r value above 0.5 was considered satisfactory. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2018, the Northeast Region recorded a 13.33% increase in the Family Health Strategy coverage and a 27.44% decrease in hospitalization rates. Coverage did not expand in the states of Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe; in the latter, there was also no significant reduction in hospitalization rates. There was a correlation between the expansion of the Family Health Strategy and a reduction in hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions in the states of Alagoas (r = −0.9636), Bahia (r = −0.9545), Ceará (r = −0.8884), and Piauí (r = −0.7000). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that increased coverage of the Family Health Strategy is associated with greater effectiveness of primary care. However, other intervening factors in hospitalization rates for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions should be considered, such as the health care model and socioeconomic context.