[Access to pediatric cancer care in Brazil: mapping origin-destination flows]. / Assistência ao câncer entre crianças e adolescentes: mapeamento dos fluxos origem-destino no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze fl ows of travel between place of residence and health care services by children and adolescents with cancer. METHODS: The flows of travel between place of residence and the health care service for children and adolescents receiving care in Brazil's Unifi ed Health System (SUS) were monitored between 2000 and 2007. The unit of analysis was the health care district. The geographical information system data and network methodology, by type of treatment received (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) and hospital admissions were used. RESULTS: The SUS made 465,289 authorizations for chemotherapy, 29,151 for radiotherapy and 383,568 for hospital admissions for the treatment of children and adolescents with a diagnosis of cancer. The dominant fl ow formed 48 networks for chemotherapy, 53 for radiotherapy and 112 for hospital admissions. Most of the volume of treatment occurred in the health districts of Brazil's 12 largest cities (with strong links between them and each having an extensive area of direct infl uence accompanying the structure of the Brazilian urban system. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the networks formed by utilization of SUS facilities providing care for children and adolescents with cancer shows that overall most patients are covered by the existing networks. However, about 10% of travel occurs outside the dominant structure, indicating the need for alternative regionalization. These results show the importance of planning the distribution of services to meet the population's needs.

Childhood cancer and pediatric oncologic care in Brazil: access and equity.

Cancer in children and adolescents is rare and highly curable if treatment is started early, yet it is still the main cause of death from disease in this age group. The aim of this study is to discuss access to health services for cancer patients under 19 years of age in Brazil, mapping deaths and treatment modalities in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). Data from 2000 to 2007 were analyzed according to health regions. Maps of cancer mortality rates and cancer care indicators - hospitalizations, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy financed by the national health system - revealed inequality in access, based on the small number of procedures for children in poorer regions of the country. Even with the usual concentration of specialized services in more heavily populated areas, access begins with clinical suspicion in primary care, followed by referral to more complex levels, where the diagnosis is made and treatment begins. Training pediatricians in clinical suspicion of childhood cancer and definition of more streamlined patient flows could improve the situation, thereby increasing the odds of cure.

Childhood cancer and pediatric oncologic care in Brazil: access and equity / O câncer infantil no Brasil: acesso e equidade

Cancer in children and adolescents is rare and highly curable if treatment is started early, yet it is still the main cause of death from disease in this age group. The aim of this study is to discuss access to health services for cancer patients under 19 years of age in Brazil, mapping deaths and treatment modalities in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). Data from 2000 to 2007 were analyzed according to health regions. Maps of cancer mortality rates and cancer care indicators - hospitalizations, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy financed by the national health system - revealed inequality in access, based on the small number of procedures for children in poorer regions of the country. Even with the usual concentration of specialized services in more heavily populated areas, access begins with clinical suspicion in primary care, followed by referral to more complex levels, where the diagnosis is made and treatment begins. Training pediatricians in clinical suspicion of childhood cancer and definition of more streamlined patient flows could improve the situation, thereby increasing the odds of cure.

O câncer em crianças e adolescentes é raro e altamente curável se o tratamento for iniciado precocemente, no entanto representa a principal causa de óbito por doença nesse grupo. O objetivo deste estudo é discutir o acesso aos serviços de saúde de menores de 18 anos de idade com câncer no Brasil, a partir do mapeamento de óbitos e modalidades de tratamento no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Os dados do período de 2000-2007 foram analisados por regional de saúde. Os mapas das taxas de mortalidade por câncer e indicadores de assistência - internações, quimioterapias e radioterapias - mostraram desigualdade no acesso pelo pequeno volume de tratamentos para residentes nas regiões mais carentes do país. Mesmo com a usual concentração de serviços especializados onde é maior a população, o acesso começa com a suspeita clínica na assistência básica seguido pelo encaminhamento para níveis mais complexos onde se estabelece o diagnóstico e se inicia o tratamento. Treinamento de pediatras para a suspeita clínica e definição de fluxos rápidos podem mudar esse quadro, aumentando a chance de cura.

Desigualdades geográficas e sociais no acesso aos serviços de saúde no Brasil: 1998 e 2003 / Geographic and social inequalities in the access to health services in Brazil: 1998 and 2003

Este estudo objetivou avaliar o padrão das desigualdades geográficas e sociais no acesso aos serviços de saúde em 2003 e compará-lo com o padrão existente em 1998, usando os dados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD). A população estudada foi de crianças e adultos residentes em áreas urbanas que referiram restrição de atividades nos últimos 15 dias nas duas pesquisas. A variável dependente foi o uso de serviços de saúde nos 15 dias que antecederam a entrevista. Os modelos de uso de serviços de saúde testados foram controlados por idade e sexo, e incluíram renda familiar per capita, escolaridade, grande região e alguns estados da federação. O estudo reafirmou o padrão de que no Brasil o acesso é fortemente influenciado pela condição social das pessoas e pelo local onde residem. Este padrão existe tanto para os adultos como para as crianças. Houve alguma diminuição das desigualdades sociais no acesso, mas as desigualdades geográficas no acesso aumentaram no período de estudo. Na região Sul, uma das mais desenvolvidas do país, persiste um padrão de forte desigualdade social e o estado do Rio Grande do Sul destaca-se pela magnitude das desigualdades sociais no acesso. A amostra da PNAD apresenta limitações para estudos de eqüidade na utilização de serviços de saúde no âmbito estadual.

The objective of this study was to evaluate geographical and social inequalities prevailing in Brazil in 2003 and to compare these data to the pattern of 1998, using data from the national household surveys of 1998 and 2003. The population under study involved children and adults living in urban areas, who referred activity restrictions in the last 15 days. The dependent variable was actual use of health services in the 15 days preceding the interviews. Use of services was controlled by age and sex and included per capita family income, years of schooling and geographical areas regions and states. The results confirm the pattern of social and geographical inequalities in the access to health services in Brazil. This is true for children and adults. There was a slight decrease in social inequalities as refers to access, but the geographical disparities increased in the course of the studied period. In 2003, the Southern region, one of the most developed in the country, presented an extremely high degree of social inequalities and the state of Rio Grande do Sul stands out for the magnitude of social inequalities in the access to health services. The PNAD sample presents limitations for equity studies in the use of health services at state level.

[Access to hospitalization in Brazilian municipalities in 2000: territorial distribution in the Unified National Health System]. / Acesso à internação hospitalar nos municípios brasileiros em 2000: territórios do Sistema Unico de Saúde.

This article investigates the effect of external factors on hospitalization patterns in Brazilian municipalities (or counties): supply, spatial configuration, socioeconomic aspects, and political context. Inpatient data from 2000 for individuals 15 years and over and most frequent hospital procedures, obtained from the National Hospital Information System (SIH-SUS), were aggregated by place of residence at the municipal level. Nested generalized additive mixed models were fitted using Bayesian inference. Probability of hospitalization is shown to increase with hospital bed supply and with primary care and local capacity, and to decrease with increasing distances and in larger and wealthier municipalities. Inclusion of random, State, and spatial patterns effects reveals regional differences in the probability of hospitalization and the main factors explaining such different patterns.

[The territorial basis of the Brazilian National Health System: mapping hospital networks]. / Territórios do Sistema Unico de Saúde: mapeamento das redes de atenção hospitalar.

This article presents two types of networks organized according to patient caseload in health services, concerning both primary hospital care (most frequent hospital procedures) and tertiary care (high-cost procedures). Data on inpatient care in Brazil in 2000 obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Unified National Health System were aggregated by place of residence and hospital location at the municipal level. Both the network structure and the node (municipality) hierarchy were established using the dominant flow approach. In addition, a typology of flows was applied to indicate the degree of connection across the networks. Primary hospital care networks reach most of the country, and few municipalities are not connected to the network. Relatively few cities provide higher-level services, and almost half of the municipalities are unconnected. The Ministry of Health aims to provide access to frequently used health services near the users' place of residence, and this goal appears to be feasible in the short run. On the other hand, much remains to be done to ensure widespread access to tertiary care.

Territórios do Sistema Unico de Saúde: mapeamento das redes de atenção hospitalar / The territorial basis of the Brazilian National Health System: mapping hospital networks

Este trabalho investiga dois tipos de redes estabelecidas pelos fluxos de pacientes para os serviços de saúde: a de atenção hospitalar básica, definida pelos procedimentos com maior freqüência de internação e as de atenção de alta complexidade. Agregaram-se os dados do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do Sistema Unico de Saúde sobre as internações realizadas no ano de 2000 em todo o Brasil í segundo o município de internação e o de residência dos pacientes. Empregou-se o método do fluxo dominante, que define o arcabouço da rede e os níveis hierárquicos dos municípios que constituem os nós. A classificação dos fluxos avalia o grau de interconexão das redes. As redes de atenção hospitalar básica alcançam quase todo o país; poucos municípios estão fora delas. Nas redes de alta complexidade poucas cidades prestam atendimento e cerca da metade dos municípios brasileiros está desconectada. O objetivo da Normas Operacionais de Atenção à Saúde, de garantir o acesso aos serviços de saúde de uso mais freqüente perto da residência dos cidadãos, parece alcançável em curto prazo. A organização das referências para os outros níveis de atenção, entretanto, ainda tem muito que avançar.

Acesso à internação hospitalar nos municípios brasileiros em 2000: territórios do Sistema Unico de Saúde / Access to hospitalization in Brazilian municipalities in 2000: territorial distribution in the Unified National Health System

Este trabalho investiga os efeitos de fatores ambientais - as condições de oferta, a configuração espacial, os aspectos sócio-econômicos da população, e o contexto político-institucional - no padrão de internação das populações dos municípios brasileiros. Os dados do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do SUS (SIH) sobre as internações de pessoas com mais de 14 anos de idade, apenas para os procedimentos de maior freqüência de internação, no ano de 2000, em todo o Brasil, foram agregados segundo o município de residência dos pacientes. Foram ajustados modelos aditivos generalizados mistos aninhados, utilizando inferência Bayesiana. Os resultados indicam que a probabilidade de internação aumenta com a disponibilidade de leitos e de atenção básica, e com a capacidade de internação local; e diminui quando são maiores as distâncias a percorrer, nos municípios de maior população e naqueles de renda familiar per capita mais alta. A inclusão dos efeitos aleatórios, de UF e do padrão espacial, permite identificar macro áreas com padrões diferenciados nas probabilidades de internação e os principais fatores que explicam esses diferentes padrões.