ABSTRACT
Research Network on Primary Health Care (Rede APS) has been seeking for the last 8 years the participation, access and exchange of national and international scientific knowledge on Primary Health Care (APS) among researchers, managers and workers of Unified Health System (SUS). We present the context of its emergence, a chronological analysis of its main historical events and its relationship with the development of policies related to Brazilian APS. We have carried out a documentary analysis of online publications, official documents and meeting reports and interviews with actors related to its creation and development. Rede APS had an important influence on the evaluation of the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Health Care (PMAQ-AB), the dissemination of research on the More Doctors Program and in the critical debates about the reformulation of the National Policy of Primary Health Care (PNAB). Based on initiatives such as this one and seeking to strengthen the dialogue and exchange among managers, workers and researchers, this network can continue to play a relevant role in structuring and evaluating APS in Brazil.
KEYWORDS
Research; Primary Health Care; Evaluation studies
