Vigilância da saúde no espaço de práticas da atenção básica / Implementing health surveillance at the primary care level

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the possibilities of re-orienting work processes at the primary care level in the light of the concepts and pre-suppositions of the health surveillance system. In addition, it presents some key concepts that could help putting into operation a health surveillance system at the local level. One of these concepts is the idea of the territory as a privileged space of primary care, helping to define and identify health needs. The study further emphasizes the heuristic value of integrating knowledge and practices in the various fields of health care so as to ensure a broader vision of problems and comprehensive health care. Finally, it analyzes the contributions from epidemiological, environmental, and health surveillance for consolidating health surveillance into a system not only imited to these three areas of action. Integrated actions of epidemiological, sanitary, and environmental surveillance can favor risk management and allow for innovative and more effective answers to the demands emerging from the health area. In addition, the local teams can acquire practical experience in internal and inter-sectorial actions which, though their importance is recognized in theory, were rarely put into practice.