The role of health residents for the resilience of Primary Care in the context of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Family health residencies show advances for work, especially in Primary Care, which in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic remains as a gateway to the health network. The resilience of a health system refers to its ability to absorb, adapt, transform, and remain functional when subjected to a crisis. The objective was to analyze the role of health residents for the resilience of Primary Care in the context of COVID-19. The study, of a qualitative and quantitative nature, through a self-administered online questionnaire, included health residents who worked in Primary Care during the pandemic as subjects. The data observed the profile of the participants and aspects related to their resilience. The Epi Info program and thematic content analysis were used for data analysis. 289 residents participated, mostly women, cisgender, white. The analytical categories were identified: Contribution to the continuity of actions in Primary Care; Responsiveness to the needs of the pandemic; and Assistance and educational innovations. The residents seem to have contributed to the resilience of health services in Primary Care during the pandemic, despite their activities not being fully developed, given the structural, financial, political, and theoretical-practical limitations.

KEYWORDS:
Internship and residency; Health human resource training; Health systems; COVID-19