Brazil Uses Local Health Workers to Provide Universal, Community-Based Primary Care
<p>Brazil’s health system relies heavily on local primary care teams to provide critical services and improve community health, part of what is known as the Family Health Strategy. The teams feature specially trained laypeople who visit people in their homes to ensure they’re keeping up with appointments and treatments. The health workers also watch for disease risk factors and signs of violence and drug use.</p><p>Learn more about this innovative program in the next <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> “Perspective” in a Commonwealth Fund–sponsored series on international health care systems. James Macinko and Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow Matthew J. Harris review the successes and challenges of an initiative that has expanded access to services, improved quality, and led to greater patient satisfaction.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2015/jun/brazil-uses-local-health-workers Read more