The intervention in the health-disease process of a population using the mapping of diseases from a territory

Abstract

Objective: Establish the importance of the mapping of diseases in the study of the coverage area of a Basic Unit of Health to direct the performance of the heath teams and improvement in medical education. Methodology: The source used for the data collection was the 2008 consolidated from the Department of Health, through the Information System of Primary Care. Once collected, the data were compared with those obtained by the Family Health Team, being corrected and updated. In order to validate the information, the students went into the field to map the risk factors and health disorders by micro-area, through interviews with key informants of the community. Results: The mapping of the territory led to the characterization of population dynamics and general living conditions. This allowed the Family Health Team identify and locate major diseases and their risk factors. The activity also contributed to the updating of data that were delayed or omitted. Furthermore, concerning medical education, the study allowed a critical capacity and the expansion of the concept of territory by academics. Conclusion: This map has contributed to identify the main environmental risk factors, health hazards, protective factors and social conditions of the area. It also allowed the team to plan more effectively the actions of prevention and health promotion, improving the management of financial and material resources.