Are We Asking Too Much of the Health Sector? Exploring the Readiness of Brazilian Primary Healthcare to Respond to Domestic Violence Against Women

BACKGROUND: There is growing recognition of the health sector's potential role in addressing domestic violence (DV) against women. Although Brazil has a comprehensive policy framework on violence against women (VAW), implementation has been slow and incomplete in primary healthcare (PHC), and little is known about the implementation challenges. This paper aims to assess the readiness of two PHC clinics in urban Brazil to integrate an intervention to strengthen their DV response. METHODS: We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with health managers and health providers; a document analysis of VAW and DV policies from São Paulo and Brazil; and 2 structured facility observations. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Findings from our readiness assessment revealed gaps in both current policy and practice needing to be addressed, particularly with regards to governance and leadership, health service organisation and health workforce. DV received less political recognition, being perceived as a lower priority compared to other health issues. Lack of clear guidance from the central and municipal levels emerged as a crucial factor that weakened DV policy implementation both by providers and managers. Furthermore, responses to DV lost visibility, as they were diluted within generic violence responses. The organizational structure of the PHC system in São Paulo, which prioritised the number of consultations and household visits as the main performance indicators, was an additional difficulty in legitimising healthcare providers' time to address DV. Individual-level challenges reported by providers included lack of time and knowledge of how to respond, as well as fears of dealing with DV. CONCLUSION: Assessing readiness is critical because it helps to evaluate what services and infrastructure are already in place, also identifying obstacles that may hinder adaptation and integration of an intervention to strengthen the response to DV before implementation

An evidence-based primary health care intervention to address domestic violence against women in Brazil: a mixed method evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Health systems have a critical role in a multi-sectoral response to domestic violence against women (DVAW). However, the evidence on interventions is skewed towards high income countries, and evidence based interventions are not easily transferred to low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) where significant social, cultural and economic differences exist. We evaluated feasibility and acceptability of implementation of an intervention (HERA-Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse) to improve the response to DVAW in two primary health care clinics (PHC) in Brazil. METHODS: The study design is a mixed method process and outcome evaluation, based on training attendance records, semi-structured interviews (with 13 Primary Health Care (PHC) providers, two clinic directors and two women who disclosed domestic violence), and identification and referral data from the Brazilian Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAN). RESULTS: HERA was feasible and acceptable to women and PHC providers, increased providers' readiness to identify DVAW and diversified referrals outside the health system. The training enhanced the confidence and skills of PHC providers to ask directly about violence and respond to women's disclosures using a women centred, gender and human rights perspective. PHC providers felt safe and supported when dealing with DVAW because HERA emphasised clear roles and collective action within the clinical team. A number of challenges affected implementation including: differential managerial support for the Núcleo de Prevenção da Violência (Violence Prevention Nucleus-NPV) relating to the allocation of resources, monitoring progress and giving feedback; a lack of higher level institutional endorsement prioritising DVAW work; staff turnover; a lack of feedback from external support services to PHC clinics regarding DVAW cases; and inconsistent practices regarding documentation of DVAW. CONCLUSION: Training should be accompanied by system-wide institutional change including active (as opposed to passive) management support, allocation of resources to support roles within the NPV, locally adapted protocols and guidelines, monitoring progress and feedback. Communication and coordination with external support services and documentation systems are crucial and need improvement. DVAW should be prioritised within leadership and governance structures, for example, by including DVAW work as a specific commissioning goal

Atenção primária à saúde e os serviços especializados de atendimento a mulheres em situação de violência: expectativas e desencontros na voz dos profissionais.

Resumo O trabalho em rede tem papel central na assistência a mulheres em situação de violência. Este estudo analisa as diferentes perspectivas desse trabalho para profissionais da Atenção Primária e profissionais de serviços especializados nas áreas de assistência social, assistência jurídica e segurança pública, na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. Realizaram-se entrevistas semi-estruturadas com 16 profissionais dos serviços especializados e 46 da saúde. Os eixos para a análise temática foram: o que os profissionais sabem e pensam sobre os demais serviços; sua atuação a partir disso; e suas expectativas. Os dados revelaram conhecimento insuficiente sobre os distintos serviços, resultando em dificuldades comunicativas, bem como em encaminhamentos equivocados pautados em idealizações sobre como deveria atuar o outro serviço. Concluímos que cada setor é bastante autônomo e seus serviços partem de seu próprio campo de atuação para definir aquilo que seria melhor para a mulher. O conjunto funciona mais como uma trama de serviços do que como uma rede

Primary health care and the specialized care services to women in situation of violence: expectations and mismatches in the voice of professionals

O trabalho em rede tem papel central na assistência a mulheres em situação de violência. Este estudo analisa as diferentes perspectivas desse trabalho para profissionais da Atenção Primária e profissionais de serviços especializados nas áreas de assistência social, assistência jurídica e segurança pública, na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. Realizaram-se entrevistas semi-estruturadas com 16 profissionais dos serviços especializados e 46 da saúde. Os eixos para a análise temática foram: o que os profissionais sabem e pensam sobre os demais serviços; sua atuação a partir disso; e suas expectativas. Os dados revelaram conhecimento insuficiente sobre os distintos serviços, resultando em dificuldades comunicativas, bem como em encaminhamentos equivocados pautados em idealizações sobre como deveria atuar o outro serviço. Concluímos que cada setor é bastante autônomo e seus serviços partem de seu próprio campo de atuação para definir aquilo que seria melhor para a mulher. O conjunto funciona mais como uma trama de serviços do que como uma rede.Networking plays a central role in assisting women in situations of violence. This study analyzes how different the work perspectives are for Primary Care professionals and specialized services professionals in the areas of social and law assistance, and public security in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 16 professionals from specialized services and 46 from the health sector. The axes for a thematic analysis were: what professionals know and think about services other than their own; their performance based on that; and their expectations. The findings revealed insufficient knowledge of the different services, resulting in communication difficulties as well as wrong referrals to other services, based on how other services would ideally work. We concluded that each sector is autonomous and its services start from its own field of action to define what would be best for women. The set works more like a mesh of services than a network