Monique da Silva Lopes

Background: The application of cell phones, similar portable devices (ie, tablets), apps, the internet, and GPS in evaluation have established new ways of collecting, storing, retrieving, transmitting, and processing data or information. However, evidence is incipient as to which technological resources remain at the center of assessment practice and the factors that promote their use by the assessment community. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the use of the National Program for Improving Primary Healthcare Access and Quality's (PMAQ-AB; Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atencao Basica) mobile app and management system and the external evaluation quality of Brazil's PMAQ-AB. Methods: We conducted a qualitative case study during the external evaluation of Brazil's PMAQ-AB. Data collection consisted of interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. A total of 7 members from the Department of Primary Care of the Ministry of Health and 47 researchers from various higher education and research institutions across the country participated in the study. Data were categorized using the ATLAS.ti software program, according to the quality standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, following the content analysis approach by Bardin. Results: The results related to feasibility, thematic scope, field activity management, standardized data collection, data consistency, and transparency. They demonstrated improvements and opportunities for advancements in evaluation mediated by the use of information technology (IT), favored the emergence of new practices and remodeling of existing ones, and took into account the multiple components required by the complex assessment of access and quality in primary health care. Difficulties in technology operation, inoperative systems, and lack of investment in equipment and human resources posed challenges to increasing the effectiveness of IT in evaluation. Conclusions: The use of technology-based tools-the app and the management system-during the external evaluation offered evaluators a greater opportunity for stakeholder engagement. This also allowed the insertion of different organizational, operational, and methodological components that are capable of triggering influences and confluences. In addition, this allowed connections in collaborative and synergistic networks to increase the quality and allow the development of a more consistent and efficient evaluation process with greater possibility of incorporating the results into public health policies.

BACKGROUND The increased applicability of information technology for evaluating health policies, programs, and care requires advancements in understanding trends, influences, its use by evaluators, and the implications for quality standards of evaluation. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the applicability of information technology in evaluation the Access and quality of primary health care in Brazil considering international quality standards. METHODS We conducted a qualitative case study during the External Evaluation of Brazil’s National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality. Data collection consisted of interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Seven technicians from the Ministry of Health and 47 researchers from various high education and research institutions across the country participated in the study. Data were categorized using the software Atlas.ti, according to the quality standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation, followed by Bardin’s content analysis. RESULTS Results related to feasibility, thematic scope, field activity management, standardized data collection, data consistency, and transparency, demonstrate improvements and opportunities for advancements in evaluation mediated by the use of Information Technology, favoring the emergence of new practices and remodeling of existing ones, taking into account the multiple components required by the complex assessment of access and quality in primary health care. Difficulty in operating, inoperative system, and lack of investment in equipment and human resources are challenges to increase the effectiveness of information technology in evaluation. CONCLUSIONS The strategic and intelligent use of information technology offered evaluators a greater opportunity to stakeholder engagement, to insert different organizational, operational, and methodological components, capable of triggering influences and confluences, with connections in collaborative and synergistic networks to increase the quality and allow the development of a more consistent and efficient evaluation with greater possibility of incorporating the results into public health policies.

Introdução: Durante a trajetória histórica que envolve a política de saúde infantil no Brasil, houve pontos positivos e negativos no processo de cuidar, implementado por meio das políticas públicas. Nesse sentido, em vários anos e décadas, foram propostas diretrizes novas que vão ao encontro de uma assistência qualificada à saúde da criança. Objetivo: Analisar a trajetória histórica das políticas de saúde infantil no Brasil verificando as tendências do coeficiente de mortalidade infantil. Método: Revisão integrativa consolidada a partir de pesquisa realizada em documentos de domínio público, disponíveis em formato digital na rede de internet. Foram coletados dados sobre a saúde infantil do período de 1930 a 2016. Resultados: Entre 1930 e 2015 observa-se uma redução na taxa de mortalidade infantil e melhoria na economia do país, além da implantação de várias políticas com ações voltadas diretamente com o objetivo desta redução. Porém, em 2016, um ano após a implantação da última política infantil, observou-se um aumento com 10,2% na taxa de mortalidade infantil referente ao ano anterior. Conclusões: Dessa forma, este estudo mostra que nos últimos 80 anos a taxa de mortalidade infantil vem reduzindo concomitantemente com o aumento de implantações de políticas. Todavia, foi possível ver que ainda se faz necessário melhorias e uma atenção mais direcionada a esta parte da população.