Continuing Education as an matrixsupport actions in mental health

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze and understand the practices and actions developed in a municipality in the state of Ceará, especially in relation to matrix support. One understands Matrix Support as a tool for organizing work processes, service flows and integration with co-responsibility of care between the Psychosocial Care Centers (Caps) and the Basic Health Units (BHU). This is a qualitative study. Data were collected, in the field, by means of semi-structured interviews with 12 health professionals from the BHU and Caps. Discourse analysis was used to investigate and systematize the data and information collected. The results showed that professionals attach importance to matrix practices in mental health (MH) care in primary care, but they relate the difficulty of co-responsibility among health facilities to the lack of continuing education, which, if it were effective, would enable teams to provide qualified mental health care in primary care as well. Permanent health education, therefore, according to the professionals, would qualify the care network in terms of strengthening matrix support in the municipality, expanding care for the population, and qualifying the breadth of the MH network.