The external evaluation of the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ-AB) was conducted to assess the items agreed between municipalities and the Ministry of Health in loco. Teams were formed and trained and travelled to the field to collect data in the State of Piauí. The aim of the study was to understand the meanings of the PMAQ-AB external evaluation experience assigned by supervisors and interviewers in Piauí. We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews exploring three units of meaning: memories that I experienced, what I felt, and what I realized. The work was long, intense and challenging. We witnessed varying primary health care realities, highlighting the need to organize and make the services work. The interviewees’ meetings with the service users, professionals and managers stimulated important reflections on primary health care in Piauí.
Keywords
Health program and project evaluations; Health management; Health evaluation; Qualitative research; Hermeneutics