IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON COLLABORATIVE WORKS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

The study is about the impact of the pandemic on collaborative work in Primary Health Care. The objective is to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on collaborative work in Primary Health Care. This is an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach, having as field of investigation the Basic Family Health Units of the municipality of Campina Grande, Paraíba. The study sample consisted of health professionals linked to the Family Health Strategy. Among the selected teams, 31 participants were interviewed. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant impacts on several health actions, especially those related to group interactions, such as prevention and health surveillance. The teams' work dynamics were altered, given the need to reorganize activities, directly affecting interprofessional work and collaborative health practices. The findings of this study also pointed out that before the pandemic, interprofessional work was already undergoing changes, mainly influenced by the political scenario. It is concluded that there is a need to reorganize the roles of each member of the PHC team to achieve mastery and execution of collaborative practices, which are fundamental to promote comprehensive care. These results are relevant, and may contribute to future decisions on the subject, this study reveals actions, which were hampered during the pandemic, and which need greater attention and strengthening at the present time.