Effects of workforce volatility, determinants of infant deaths and resilience in SUS Primary Care

Abstract This article aims to analyze the effects of the volatility of the Primary Health Care (PHC) workforce in the Unified Health System (SUS) on the resilience of services and the reduction in infant deaths. We used the relationship between the PHC workforce and child-sensitive indicators: vaccination (poliomyelitis and measles) and infant deaths. This ecological time series study adopted indicators relating to the workforce, vaccination coverage, and infant deaths from preventable causes from all Brazilian states between 2017 and 2022, totaling a balanced panel with 162 pieces of information in 11 variables. For the data analysis, a fixed effects panel regression model was estimated, demonstrating the existence of significant statistical significance in the association between the workforce of primary health care and the reduction of infant deaths, with doctors being the most contributing factor to this reduction, followed by nurses. Regarding vaccination coverage, the quadruple measles vaccine significantly reduced infant deaths.