Permanent education, community health agents, and humanization: challenges and advances in primary health care

Abstract

The Unified Health System (SUS), based on the principles of universality, comprehensiveness, and equity, promotes humanization as a central focus of primary care. This study, based on an integrative literature review, analyzed how permanent health education, the role of community health agents (CHAs), and the principles of SUS can be articulated to strengthen more inclusive and effective practices. Permanent education was highlighted as a strategic tool to transform professional practices, promoting critical reflections and the collective construction of knowledge. CHAs play a crucial role in strengthening the link between health services and communities, enabling actions that are more adapted to local realities, although they face challenges such as labor precariousness. The principles of SUS remain indispensable guides for promoting equity, requiring strategies that translate these values into concrete actions. The findings reinforce that the integration of permanent education, the role of CHAs, and the principles of SUS can transform primary care, overcoming structural barriers and promoting more humanized and resolutive practices.