Development of hard technology for the treatment of diabetic foot: a case study from the perspective of public health

ABSTRACT This is a case study that is aimed at analyzing, from the perspective of public health, the process of development of medical equipment for the treatment of diabetic foot performed by the partnership between the Ministry of Health (MS) and the University of Brasilia (UnB) from December 2016 to January 2019. The analysis observed the behavior of the research group responsible for the production of hard technology in the face of the difficulties in transforming the research into a product with market potential that can be assimilated into the coverage of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), concomitantly with the participation of public health in overcoming some barriers. The partnership between MS and UnB was used as a case study, supported in the qualitative research model with emphasis on methodological processes of mixed typology, but prioritizing participatory observation methods whose unit of analysis is linked to public health. The results showed that the contribution of public health on the production of hard technology minimized gaps for the probable transformation of the idea into a product assimilated by SUS. The participation of public health narrowed the gaps between the areas of knowledge involved, bringing the university closer to a private initiative and regulating institutions.