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Primary healthcare in Portugal is undergoing a major reform, of which family health units (FHU) are one of the more visible results. This study aimed to evaluate the FHU implementation process from 2006 onwards. Methods from a previous study of primary healthcare implementation in Brazil were used. Dimensions studied included comprehensiveness of care, organization of care, and the political-institutional perspective. The main improvements identified included better availability of care, team work, technical quality of care, innovative management practices, sustainability of the model, working conditions and infrastructure improvements. Main challenges remaining include integration with hospital care, political and institutional gray areas, need for better information systems, integration within health centers and workflow organization. These data may be useful for management decision-makers when making adjustments and corrections in the reform process.

Teamwork is one of the main pillars of Family Health Care projects, although it is not a strategy exclusively applied to such programs. It is not frequently discussed in current collective health research studies, but the perspective resulting from the full range of its action favors interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary actions. Thus, when building a Family Health Project, teamwork should be guided by a common health care purpose and the players involved should develop an interaction movement within the team itself as well as in relation to the community. It is therefore critical to establish communication practices for mutual understanding. This paper presents some preliminary considerations on the teamwork strategy in Family Health Care actions, indicating barriers and potentials in the construction of this health care model.

This article presents a qualitative case study where the unit of analysis was the Family Health Program team of Natal city, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. The objectives were to analyze the conceptualizations of the professionals regarding teamwork as well as to identify in these practices the elements that contribute to an effective change in the hegemonic health model. The study was based on the Peduzzi (1998) typology and definition of health team and was conducted in six family health units in the North and East health districts selected by a pre-established criteria. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview applied in family health teams, which were analyzed using the Collective Subject Discourse proposed by Lefèvre and Lefèvre (2003). The results indicate a predominance of an integrated team type, and also that teamwork is an essential element for the development of the Family Health Strategy.