RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Characterize the current situation of the demand manager physician (DMP) in primary health care (PHC), from the perceptions of those who fulfill this role, their medical peers and the directors of the family health centers (CESFAMs). DESIGN: Qualitative cross-sectional study with a grounded theory approach. SITE: Four CESFAMs from the South East Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago, Chile. PARTICIPANTS: Demand manager physician, general practitioners and directors of CESFAM. METHOD: A semi-structured interview and discussion group were used as data collection technique. Open, axial, and selective coding was carried out with the support of the NVivo12 software. RESULTS: In practice, DMP performs more functions than those defined for the position by the Ministry of Health, generating the feeling of lack of time to carry out their work, what represents their main barrier at work and reflects the absence of institutional support they receive from their employees. Among these invisible functions are: providing feedback to the medical team, leading clinical meetings, and generating reference protocols. For the good performance of the DMP it is necessary to have technical skills and be recognized by their peers. It was estimated that the family doctor is the most suitable professional for the position. The work of the DMP is limited by institutional factors such as waiting lists, lack of specialists, and poor coordination between levels of care. CONCLUSIONS: Standardizing the functions of the DMP is a necessary element for its consolidation and achieving the objectives of maintaining continuity of care in the population.