THE ROLE OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN THE CONTEXT OF FLOODS: A SCOPING REVIEW

Climate change represents one of the primary contemporary challenges to public health, driven by the intensification of extreme events and the expansion of social, environmental, and health-related vulnerabilities. Rising global average temperatures, coupled with shifting precipitation patterns, have contributed to an increase in meteorological and hydrological disasters—events whose effects are distributed unevenly across populations and territories (ROMANELLO et al., 2024; SANTOS et al., 2026). In this context, low- and middle-income countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, especially where socioeconomic inequalities persist and the adaptive capacity of health systems is limited (SILVA et al., 2025). In Brazil, floods are of particular concern; recent evidence points to an increase in their frequency and a widening of their impacts, which negatively affect living conditions and lead to a rise in diseases, health issues, and mortality. Beyond direct damage, these events can disrupt water and energy supplies, as well as transportation networks, and trigger population displacement—all of which hinder access to care and the continuity of health services (SANTOS et al., 2026). Given the growing frequency of such events, it is essential to understand the role of health professionals in addressing them—specifically those working within Primary Health Care (PHC) (MACINKO; MENDONÇA, 2018). This level of care is uniquely positioned due to its extensive reach, deep territorial integration, strong community ties, and capacity to provide comprehensive, ongoing support for the population's needs. Consequently, this study aims to map the existing evidence regarding the role of PHC professionals in the context of floods.