(Bio)Ethics and Primary Health Care: preliminary study on Family Clinics in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) started out as the Family Health Program (FHP) in 1994, and has since has been re-thought and re-worked in Brazil as the primary rationale for reorganizing Primary Healthcare (PHC). Transforming the hegemonic PHC into FHS has resulted in many changes in how healthcare is provided, which have impacted different areas. For example, matters of (bio)ethics must still be elucidated. Within this context, this investigation is characterized as an exploratory study focused on mapping the main (bio)ethical problems identified by PHC workers in the city of Rio de Janeiro. For this reason, we used a questionnaire and asked Family Clinic (FC) healthcare professionals to answer it. The answers were submitted to content analysis as proposed by Bardin. PHC in the context of Family Clinics has unique elements in terms of the (bio)ethical relationships established in this level of healthcare. It is extremely necessary that new theoretical references be proposed, and that education/training measures to address such issues be developed.

Family Health Strategy; Integrated care; Primary healthcare; Bioethics