The home healthcare market - Brazil

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Home health care is a practice that allows the patient to receive medical care at home.

The duration and therapeutic conditions of home care are defined by a health professional. This type of service is intended for dependent, disabled or sick persons. Home care generally requires the use of medical equipment, but differs from HAH (home hospitalisation) in that it involves less intensive care.

Managed diseases are, in particular, chronic diseases requiring recurrent treatment (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, etc.).

Dominated by the US market worldwide, the Brazilian home healthcare market is growing, particularly due to the ageing of the population, which favors the emergence of numerous private structures. One of the great opportunities of the sector is the technological progress in the last decades, which promises to be an engine of growth in the coming years.

Currently, approximately 96 thousand Brazilians are users of home care services (except for beneficiaries of chronic disease programs), a projection made from the Supplementary Health Assistance Map published by the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS). A survey conducted by the Federation of Hospitals, Clinics and Laboratories of the State of São Paulo (FEHOESP) found a 34% increase in this market in 2018. In the last six years, the number of establishments providing homecare services has almost tripled in Brazil and by 2018 the country already had 392 clinics, while in 2011 there were only 138.

Today, several Brazilian universities, such as UNIFESP, UERJ, UFSC, and USP, understand the need to train specialized professionals for home care. As a result, they already offer disciplines related to home care management for nurses, doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, etc. The Faculty of Medicine of USP, in particular, an Interdisciplinary Home Care Center, a national reference, for home care support and assistance.