In the Unified Health System in Brazil (SUS), the levels of health care fall within the hierarchical model with the reference and counter-reference systems. In a project to meet the repressed demands of primary and secondary levels, called "Mutirão da Saúde", held in Porto Alegre, the neurologists of the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, after each call made, answered a questionnaire to assess referrals performed by the network of primary health care (PHC). The evaluation was positive, showing that the referrals were really needed in 85% of cases; however, it was partially contradictory, given that 41.7% of referrals were medical conditions that should be managed in primary care. The evaluation also revealed that 50% of cases needed further investigation. Due to a possible randomized regionalization of referrals, the result did not allow us to estimate the appropriate prevalence according to areas of the PHC units, information that is important to organize the flow of referrals and planning of resources allocated by managers, both local and municipal.
health centers; public health; primary health care; neurologic manifestations
