Access to viral hepatitis care: distribution of health services in the Northern region of Brazil

• Main Authors: Elton Carlos de Almeida, Josué Souza Gleriano, Flavia Kelli Alvarenga Pinto, Ronaldo de Almeida Coelho, Simone Monzani Vivaldini, José Nilton Neris Gomes, Alexandre Fonseca Santos, Leandro Soares Sereno, Gerson Fernando Mendes Pereira, Sílvia Helena Henriques, Lucieli Dias Pedreschi Chaves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia
• Subjects: Health evaluation; Health services; Comprehensive health care; Human viral hepatitis
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-790X2019000200405&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the distribution of health care services for viral hepatitis and reported cases of viral hepatitis according to the health regions of Northern Brazil. Method: It is an evaluative, descriptive and quantitative research considering viral hepatitis care services and reported cases in the Northern region of Brazil, using data collected from the National Registry of Health Establishments and the Notifiable Diseases Information System. Descriptive statistics and georeferencing, through software, were used to demonstrate the spatial distribution of services and reported cases. Results: Viral hepatitis health services are distributed in a differentiated way; rapid tests are capillaries in the states; confirmatory tests and treatment are performed in some health regions, with a greater grouping of services in the capitals and their surroundings. Cases were reported across all regions, with areas of higher concentration near services. Conclusion: The availability of services can favor access to prevention, diagnosis and monitoring of cases. However, organizational peculiarities of the health system and services highlight fragilities that have repercussions on the access and entirety of viral hepatitis care.