Abstract
Longitudinality is an essential attribute of Primary Health Care (PHC), with a fundamental role in the work process in family health and care. We present a description of the meanings about the longitudinality for health professionals and how this practice is developed in the Family Health model. This is a qualitative, exploratory research, using the Bardin content analysis method. As a result, it was found the valorization of the systemic relationship of longitudinality in an PHC Model that covers the door of entry, integrality and coordination, materializing the responsibility of the team for the care of individuals, families and communities; longitudinality as organizational practice, using teamwork, health education practices and home visits as strategies for care; and the interpersonal relationship reinforcing the empathy and the trust in the relationship between the health professional and the patient, assisting in the construction of autonomy of the chronic patients. Longitudinality is a present and relevant device in the family health work process, but it is threatened by overwork, bureaucracy and lack of time for the development of activities.
Keywords:
Primary Health Care; family health; continuity of patient care