Evaluation of Primary Health Care in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: the experience of patients fifteen years after the Reform

Abstract The present study aimed to assess the degree of orientation for PHC from the perspective of adult and child users in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The design was a cross-sectional observational study and included independent samples of child and adult users leaving medical appointments at different health units in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The study outcome was the essential and general scores of the PCATool Brazil, categorized as High Score above 6.6 and Low Score below 6.6. Socioeconomic, health-related, service use, and general characteristic variables were also collected. A total of 889 adults and 956 children answered the questionnaire and were analyzed. The core and overall PCATool scores were slightly higher in children than in the adult sample. The overall score was 6.72, 95%CI (6.63-6.81) and 6.40, 95%CI (6.30-6.50) in adults. In the adjusted models, individuals with five or more consultations in the last year: children - (OR=1.33, 95%CI [1.01-1.75])/adults - (OR=2.63, 95%CI [1.68-4.11]) and consultation with the same doctor: children - (OR=2.34, 95%CI [1.77-3.08])/adults - (OR=3.42, 95%CI [2.19-5.32]) were associated with a higher overall score.