Access of the male population to the health services: perception of the family health strategy professionals

Abstract

Objective: To know the perception of the Family Health Strategy professionals (FHS) about the men’s access to the basic health services. Method: It is an exploratory and qualitative study developed with 16 FHS professionals, with the approval of the Research Ethics Committee from the State University of Rio Grande do Norte (REC/UERN - n° 052/11). The data were discussed through the thematic analysis technique of MINAYO. Results: The labor is considered a barrier for the access of this population to the health services or for giving continuity to already established therapeutic procedures. The health professionals blame the male population for its absence in the service at stake. The non-participation of men is related to the lack of planning and organization in the FHS scope, lack of intersectoriality, as well as assistance exclusively guided on outpatient care shares. Conclusion: it is possible to identify the lack of strategies to attract men to the BHU scope. The challenges become evident before the invisibility of practices that foster the demand for health services.