Intersectoriality and the Family Health Strategy: highly relevant or almost irrelevant?

Abstract

In this study, the understanding of intersectoriality together with the Family Health Strategy (FHS) was analyzed from the perceptions of individuals involved with the social context of primary care in the city of Sobral in the state of Ceará. An analytical study of a qualitative nature was conducted in May 2014. The focal group was the data collection technique with 11 participants chosen for the key functions they perform in their direct interface with the FHS. Data were analyzed using the Lefevre and Lefevre Discourse of the Collective Subject technique (2003). The "word cloud" analysis technique - a graphical way of viewing linguistic data based on Wordle™ software - was also used. Five discourses on intersectoriality were produced: a) the understanding of the group; b) its importance in the context of the FHS; c) actions performed in the FHS; d) facilitators or obstacles to intersectoriality in the FHS; e) suggestions for enhancing intersectorial cooperation in the FHS. The responses highlighted the complexity of this issue, which requires health managers and professionals to overcome the reductionist model that is derived from a biological perspective on health, the polysemic nature of the term and acknowledging that this is a project under construction.