Evaluation and monitoring of primary health care in Ceara State, Brazil: exploring concepts and experiences at the central level

The primary health care model implemented by the Family Health Program in Brazil still lacks systematized, validated mechanisms for its monitoring and evaluation. Based on an actual experience, the current study sought to understand experiences and explore concepts held by staff and managers in the Ceara State Health Department in Brazil, in relation to their evaluative and monitoring practices. A qualitative methodology was used, with the sample consisting of the group responsible for primary care at the State level. The focus group technique was used to obtain the empirical material. Themes that stood out in the interpretation were the nature and goals of evaluation and experiences with evaluation. Both are discussed in the current article and show that the key informants do not participate in the discussion on evaluation of health programs and services, meaning that the concept of evaluation is poorly understood and suffers attrition during the process of implementing activities. The traditional normative model predominates in the evaluative experiences, revealing a mismatch between concepts and practice in relation to proposals with a qualitative-participatory approach.