Abstract:
Health policies worldwide are undergoing a change in focus. ln Brazil. the currently prevailing main strategy for reforming the public health system is the Farnily Health Program (Programa de Saúde da Família - PSF). Nevertheless, family physicians' beliefs and practices still focus primarily on curative and specialized healthcare paradigms. This paper presents a qualitative study aimed at evaluating pradices and beliefs among physicians working in the PSF. Five family physicians were interviewed, and the interviews were submitted to content analysis. Our results suggest that family physicians still experience difficulty in achieving PSF goals and identifying with the Program's work profile. The importance of changes in the process of medical training and professional identification is discussed as a premise for reaching the goals of the PSF.
Key-words:
Family Health; Health Policy; Religion; Qualitative Research; Education, Medical