The domestic survey carried out in the population of four of the 22 municipalities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants of the State of Rio de Janeiro that implemented the PROESF aims at institutionalizing assessment and monitoring of primary health care. This study was developed in the context of the baseline studies of the PROESF. The tool used in this study is an adaptation of the questionnaire used before on national level for assessing the performance of the health care system from the viewpoint of the user. The adaptations made refer to assessment of basic care focusing the PSF. Indicators were constructed for covering the areas quality of pre-natal care, assisted delivery, child health, prevention of colon and breast cancer, care for the aged and oral health were constructed. The results found with respect to the prevention of colon cancer were outstanding due to the high number of gynecological examinations performed during the period of three years covered by the study. The time gap between the examinations and the receipt of the results however shows clearly the weakness of the system, indicating the urgent need for evaluating the quality of the provided primary care from the viewpoint of the users, in order to establish goals and define priorities.
Primary health care; Family Health; Domestic survey; Rio de Janeiro State; Brazil
