Núcleo de Apoio à Saúde da Família (NASF): discutindo potencialidades e fragilidades

Abstract

This research aimed to study the meanings of the Family Health Support Centers (NASF) in the Unified Health System (SUS), taking as a reference the scientific production on the subject since its creation and the performance of a NASF according to the health workers of a municipality in the interior of São Paulo. Created through the ordinance nº154 of January 24, 2008, the NASF aims to expand the actions of prevention and health promotion within the territories. Its proposal is exactly to qualify these spaces of care and health assistance, having as target public the teams and subjects of a certain territory, this way, contributing for the performance in Basic Care to be carried out in a qualified way, expanding the resolutiveness and generating good results. Methodologically, it is characterized as a qualitative study, through the case study. The research project was approved and authorized by the UFSCar's Committee of Ethics in Research with Human Beings and also approved by the Municipal Health Secretariat. The study was divided into two articles, the first of which is a bibliographical review, where a reflection of the ten years of creation and implementation of NASF in Brazil, from 2008 to 2018, is made. The second article presents the results of the field research, carried out in the first NASF in the countryside of São Paulo that started its work in March 2008. The discussion of the results showed that the team faces some difficulties to perform its work, such as management support, lack of proper space and understanding of Basic Care about its role. The lack of understanding by municipal managers about the work and the objectives of NASF in Basic Health Care is also highlighted.