The creative potential of health work to develop an integrated care model in Brazilian primary health care  

In November 2015, at the 3rd World Congress on Integrated Care and 8th National Congress of Integrated Medicine, “Co-producing High Quality People-Centered Integrated Care for ALL”, Debora Santos presented her PhD research on primary health care teams in Alagoas, the most unequal state in Brazil. According to Debora Santos, while Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) is headed by principles of integrated care, in practice a biomedical conception of health typically prevails instead of one focused on integrated care. Therefore, the objective of her research was to identify potential ways to develop an integrated care model of primary health care focused on the principles of social health rights, integrated access, equity, team work and health promotion. Through focus groups and interviews with primary health care teams she identified several challenges and potentialities for integrated care. For example,  the teams faced both objective (clinical) and subjective (emotional) needs but had limited ...

Integrating terminology for integrated care

The plan is to transform a fragmented and largely uncoordinated model into a multidimensional care model that integrates social care systems with health care systems. To achieve this integration successfully, a strong conceptual framework must be constructed, in which terminology will play an important part. Since language mediates a particular vision of reality, when creating a new care model it seems important to focus on terminology. 

Why the biopsychosocial model needs to be the underpinning philosophy in rehabilitation pathways for patients recovering from COVID-19

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has left many consequences, both social and health, on a social and individual level. In the face of individual sequelae, the need to address this need for care with an integrative approach becomes more important.The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has left many consequences, both social and health, on a social and individual level. In the face of individual sequelae, the need to address this need for care with an integrative approach becomes more important.

"For patients recovering from COVID-19, it will be impossible to separate the person and their personal circumstances from COVID-19, and to regard physical, psychological and social factors as independent entities. For this reason, we argue that the BPS model is needed with even more reason than before, and that it should be the philosophy of care to underpin rehabilitation in the recovery from COVID-19".