THE INTEGRATION BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HEALTH CARE: A VIEW OF USERS OF THE UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM (SUS)

Introduction and Objectives: Structured, SUS is divided into three levels of care. Primary Health Care (PHC) is responsible for health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, respecting principles of longitudinality, attention to the first contact, integrality and coordination of care. Secondary Health Care (SHC) offers medium complexity services to the population in clinics and hospitals for diagnostic support. This study aimed to compare the care delivered in primary and secondary health care in order to analyze the integration between these levels, from the perspective of the patients. Method: Quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study, developed in a Family Health Center (FHC) and a center of secondary care in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The sample consisted of 450 respondents, who answered a self-administered and semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.4 for Windows. Results and Conclusions: Analyzing data, 63% of patients rated as good to excellent care FHC against 95% in SHC; 82.21% of patients in the PHC and 96.7% of patients in SHC responded feel comfortable with the professional, reflecting strength in the doctor-patient relationship; 78.8% of patients in the PHC and 94.78% of the trainees in SHC feel well advised by health professionals serving them. It concludes that, despite of the generally positive assessment, primary care has remained at a disadvantage in relation to secondary care in relation to the construction of a structured doctor-patient relationship, showing a deficit in early longitudinality and coordination of care.