This study aimed to analyze the work processes of three family healthcare teams in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with healthcare management. Home visits were taken to be the focus of the analysis. The case study methodological approach was chosen, and this was selected within a complex context, with people in situations of fragility, uncertainty and distress. The main results from this study highlight healthcare professionals' improvisation when faced with precarious working conditions and the daily challenges involved in carrying out home visits and in dealing with demands that emerge from the territory. Although home visits may be presented as powerful tools for planning healthcare actions and for reorientation of practices, major obstacles preventing their consolidation can still be found. This is especially because of the great internal disposition required from healthcare professionals for dealing with diversity and the unexpected.
Healthcare; Healthcare work process; Family Health Strategy; Home visits; Primary healthcare