Violence and Primary Health Care in Brazil: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Violence is a challenge for health services in Brazil, especially within primary care. This study analyses national publications on violence and Primary Health Care. An integrative literature review was conducted resulting in a final sample of 18 articles. The most predominant theme was violence against women (nine articles), followed by violence against children and adolescents (four articles), and violence against the elderly (three articles). The population group that accounted for the least number of publications was men, with two articles. The studies show the invisibility of violence in primary healthcare services in Brazil and the need to reorganize the work process beyond a complaint-based approach towards a sociocultural approach based on intersectorality. Comprehensiveness and intersectorality are essential elements of an effective violence care network.