Actions performed by the family health support centers: an analysis of the results from the second cycle of the national program for access and quality improvement in primary care

Matrix support, in Brazilian primary health care, is characterized as a device for reorganization of the work processes, which encourages the expansion of the clinical approach, the resolution potentiality in this area and the reflection of established practices. From this perspective, the Family Health Support Centres were created to work in partnership with primary care teams, instituting specialized assistance and aiming to provide comprehensive care. Given this established situation, this study intended to analyse the actions developed by the support centres. For that, it was used the data from the results of module II in the second external evaluation cycle of the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care, made available by the Brazilian Health Ministry. The sample of this study counted with 17,156 teams of primary care. The modality 1 of support centres was predominant, and demonstrated to perform home visits; individual consultations; group therapy; actions of community intervention and health education, among others actions listed by the program of improvement. The way data from the second cycle of the National Program are showed, according to the proposal presented in the external evaluation instrument, does not allow a more detailed analysis of the frequencies of activities performed. The Family Health Support Centres have proven to be more of an extension of the teams of primary care than a supportive or protective rearguard.