Co-management in the context of Brazil’s National Humanization Policy: an integrative review

Abstract Co-management is one of the guiding principles of Brazil’s National Humanization Policy (NHP), which has been studied since its creation in 2003. This article presents an integrative review of literature on co-management in the context of the NHP. We performed searches of the VHL, CAPES, Scopus and ProQuest databases for articles on co-management published after the creation of the NHP. We conducted a detailed analysis of 36 articles, organizing the results into two predefined categories: theoretical bases and reports on co-management in practice. The articles drew on the following theoretical bases: the circle method/institutional support, ergology, Hermeneutics, schizoanalysis, Habermas’ theory of communicative action and Paulo Freire’s pedagogy for liberation. Few studies provided original theoretical contributions. Regarding practice, the authors mentioned the implementation of co-management devices and the creation of different collective spaces, which were presented as a being participatory in themselves. The articles offered little reflection on the process of developing a culture of participation. We conclude by pointing to the need for studies that explore the relational construction of co-management in the everyday practice of health care teams.