Gritos de silêncio: na voz dos familiares cuidadores de portadores da doença de Alzheimer

This work is an investigation related to issues of those who take home care of people who suffer from Alzheimer disease (AD). Thus, it is justified by the need to acknowledge how these relatives perform this task and in which ways they do this. The study has is analytical and qualitative methodology with the use of a thematic oral history approach. The subjects of the research were nine relatives of those who suffer from AD that participate in the home care group in the Candelária neighborhood in the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte-Brazil. The data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and interview that was booked in advance and had full support from the care takers. After information collection, three thematic axles were defined. After this procedure, three analisys subcategories were also defined. The first thematic axle emphasizes the so called movement of rite of passage, when the relative becomes a care taker of a person with AD. The second category deals with the care takers strategies, either related to their own behalf or on their relative. It is possible to infer that amongst other forms of help, the care taker needs to rely on a support network, such as health services, groups composed by multiprofessionals that enable better articulation between family and collaborators. The dimension related to faith and spirituality was also observed and pointed out as an important aspect in the emotional support process for these relatives. In the third axle the perspectives of struggle, conquests of the right to health and life quality of those who suffer from AD as well as their relatives was observed. These also deal with dreams and hope

Avaliação do impacto do treinamento de clínica em hanseníase e sua contribuição para o aumento da detecção da doença no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Hansen´s disease is considered a serious public health problem. In 2006, the Ministry of Health reported that worldwide, Brazil ranked 2nd in the number of cases of the disease, surpassed only by India. The North region is the geographical area in Brazil that presents the most cases. In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the disease is considered to be eliminated because its prevalence has been identified as 1 per 10.000 inhabitants, criteria established by the State Elimination Letter of 2005. Training programs have been offered by the Coordination for the Control of Hansen´s Disease Program of Rio Grande do Norte, PCH-RN since 1997, with the support of the English governmental agency Leprosy Relief Association, LRA, with no evaluation having been conducted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the training programs in clinical diagnosis of Hansen´s disease and their contribution to the detection of the disease in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The study was conducted in seven municipalities that are known as Regional Public Health Units (URSAPs): São José de Mipibu URSAP I, Mossoró URSAP II, João Câmara URSAP III, Caicó URSAP IV, Santa Cruz URSAP V, Pau dos Ferros URSAP VI and Natal, capital city of the State, in the Metropolitan Region. Physicians and nurses of the Family Health Program PSF were interviewed as to their perceptions of the implementation of the training program in clinica diagnosis of Hansen´s Disease conducted by the PCH-RN. They evaluated their own practice and the training program. These professionals presented a positive evaluation of the program and gave suggestions for future courses. The results of this study suggest the need for permanent education. Data of the disease obtained from the official records of the Secretariat of Health and from the interviews indicate that health education is the means to control Hansen´s disease effectively

Condutas de profissionais que realizam a consulta pré-natal na Estratégia Saúde da Família quanto à detecção, tratamento e acompanhamento da gestante com sífilis

The objective of this exploratory descriptive quantitative study was to analyze the behaviors in the detection, treatment and followup of the pregnant woman with syphilis, by health professionals that conduct the pre-natal consultation in the Family Health Strategy, as to the adherence to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. The study was conducted in nine municipalites of the Trairi region in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Data were collected during the months of July through September 2007, by means of a questionnaire with a population of 53 health professionals, 30 nurses and 23 physicians. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results were organized in three major items: knowledge of the health professionals about the symptomatology of syphilis and their actions in the detection of the disease; actions in the treatment of the pregnant woman with syphilis; and the actions of followup of the desease. We identified that 81,2% of the professionals have knowledge about the symptomatology of syphilis in the pregnant woman;79,2% request the VDRL exam in the adequate intervals and approximately 50% conduct the treatment in conformity with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. For the followup care of the infected woman, 79,2% request a monthly VDRL examination, 69,8% explain the disease to the pregnant woman, and 20,7% affirm that they conduct a proper reception to the woman.We conclude that the majority of the health professionals have knowledge of the detection, treatment and followup of the pregnant woman with syphilis. However, the actions of some professionals diverge from the conduct procedures recommended by the Ministry of Health, as to the requesting of the examinations, medication prescription and notification of the iesease. This indicates the need for improved

Acurácia do teste de labirinto no rastreamento de déficits cognitivos em idosos

This study intended to evaluate the maze test accuracy in cognitive deficit screening in elderly with or without neuropsychological pathology. The sample included 40 healthy young (18-25 years old; mean- 21 ± 1.6), 40 healthy old (60-77 years old; mean- 67 ± 5.1) and 18 patients with probable diagnosis of Alzheimer s disease initial stage (52-90 years old; mean- 78 ± 9.2). Data analysis was made using Anova with Tukey s post hoc, multiple linear regression analysis and ROC curve analysis. According to Tukey s test Alzheimer patients spent more time (46843 ± 37926 ms) to execute the test than healthy young (5482 ± 2873 ms; p= 0.0001) and elderly (17978 ± 13700; p= 0.0001); healthy young executed test n lower time (p= 0.035). According to the regression analysis of age, education level and cognitive performance of the three groups, the cognitive performance was the predictor of the execution time. When analyzing young and elderly only age was the predictor and the cognitive performance was the only factor to influence the test of old aged healthy and patients. The ROC curve analysis indicated 72% accuracy for young and elderly and 36% for healthy and elderly patients. The maze execution time represented a better balance between sensibility (75%) and the specificity (61%) was near 13575 ms, indicating that those subjects that execute the maze in a time higher to this value may show cognitive deficit related to the executive function. According to the results it is suggested that the maze test used in this study shows a good accuracy in the cognitive deficit tracking and may discriminate age changes

Caracterização do acidente de trânsito e gravidade do trauma: um estudo em vítimas de um hospital de emergência de Natal

Descriptive exploratory study, with quantitative approach and prospective data performed on the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital Complex (MWGH), in Natal/RN, aiming to classify the type of motor vehicle involved in the accident, the public roadway s user quality and the more frequent injuries; to evaluate the severity of trauma in traffic accident victims; characterized the severity of the injuries and the trauma, and the type of motor vehicle involved. The population comprises 605 traffic accident victims, with data collected between October and December 2007. We used as a support for the evaluation of severity of injuries and trauma the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCSl), the Condensed Abbreviated Injury Scale (CAIS) and the Injury Severity Score (ISS). The results show that 82.8% of the victims were male; 78.4% were aged 18 to 38; the victims originating from the State s Countryside prevailed (43.1%); 24.3% of the population had completed middle-level instruction; 23.1% worked on commerce and auxiliary activities; most (79.4%) was catholic; 48.8% were married/consensual union; 76.2% earned up to two monthly minimum wages; Sunday was the day with the most accidents (25.1%); 47.4% were attended to in under an hour after the event; the motorcycle on its own was responsible for 53.2% of the accidents; 42.3% were attended to by the SAMU; 61.8% were victims of crashes; over half (53.4%) used individual protection equipment (IPE); 49.4% were helmets and 4.0% the seatbelt; 61.3% were motorcycle drivers; 43.3% of the accidents took place in the afternoon shift; from 395 drivers, 55.2% were licensed, and 50.7% among those had been licensed for 1 to 5 years; 90.7% of the victims had GCS1 between 13 and 15 points at the time of evaluation; the body area most affected was the external surface (35.9%); 38.8% of the injuries were light or moderate (AIS=1 and AIS=2); 83.2% had light trauma (ISS between 1 and 15 points). In face of the results, we can conclude that there is a risk for the elevation of injury severity and trauma resulting from traffic accidents, when these events are related to certain variables such as gender, age, weekday, the interval between the accident and the first care, ingestion of drugs, type of accident, the public roadway s user quality, the use of IPE, day shift, body regions and the type of motor vehicle involved in the accident

As representações sociais da morte e do processo de morrer para profissionais que trabalham em unidade de terapia intensiva uti

This study aimed to seize the general social representations of doctors and nurses who work in ICUs on the process of death and dying. We also aimed to know the social representations of these professionals in relation to death and the process of dying of people who are under their care, identify factors that influence the construction of these representations and identify similarities and differences between the two professions. The study was conducted from the perspective of the Theory of Social Representations of Serge Moscovici and the Central Nucleus of Jean-Claude Abric. The study was conducted in the Intensive Care Unit of Natal Hospital Center, a private hospital of the city of Natal - Rio Grande do Norte. This is descriptive and exploratory research. Twenty-four (24) professionals were interviewed, twelve (12) nurses and twelve (12) doctors. Data were collected through two instruments: Test of Free Association of Words, semi-structured interview. Later, they were coded, categorized and analyzed according to Content Analysis of Bardin (1977). The words evoked after the use of inducing words - death and dying - and the interviews, led to three thematic categories: Death and dying as a biological event, death and dying as a psychosocial event, death and dying as a transcendental event. As final considerations, we believe that the social representations of the group are translated in death and dying as biological and psychosocial events and anchored in the transcendental aspects, we do not see obvious differences in the testimonies of doctors and nurses , and the factors that interfere the construction of these offices is the culture, including religion

Relatos de uma vivência interdisciplinar: educação, saúde e cidadania

This study addresses the interdisciplinary training in perspective for the Brazilian Health System (SUS) in view of graduation students in the areas of health of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte s (UFRN) former students of the course Health and Citizenship (SACI). Emphasizes also the importance of commitment to social policies, particularly with those focused on the area of health. This is a case study with a qualitative approach. There was the lifting of data through documental research, from 14 portfolios of learning, which are weekly records of students from the respective discipline, corresponding to 2005.2 to 2007.2 semesters. From the analysis undertaken, inferred that the methodology problematizing, used by the discipline, enables students to understand that learning is not restricted to the confined university walls. It shows the health from a complex and concrete social reality, allowing students to an interdisciplinary dialogue in search of the transformation of this reality. It means an opportunity to interact with the dynamics of society in their area of activities, developing a relationship of solidarity in the formation of the citizen. Moreover, it was clear the direction of experienced interdisciplinary and recognized by students of various professions that make up the discipline. Thus, the SACI in preparation for construction of SUS, helps to form a new professional, more committed to the promotion and with a collective work in health

Saúde da família: uma estratégia de mudança no processo de produção dos serviços de saúde

The purpose of this study is to analyze, from the point of view of nurses, changes that took place in the process of providing health services after the introduction of the Family Health Program (FHP). It is na investigation of qualitative nature that uses semi-structured interviews as a main empirical approach tool. Six nurses from the city of Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte, who were working with basic care before the introduction of the FHP, within basic care, were: adscription and ties with the community; hospitality and the humanizacion of care-giving; decrease in cases of inpatient treatment; strengthening of the prevention of injuries and health promotion; improvemente of health indicatiors, finally, actions that point towads meeting the principles of wholeness, equity and universality as a declaration of the Brazilian National Health Care System (SUS). Nevertheless, in spite of all recognizable positive aspects, the FHP has some weaknesses, such as: the difficulty posed by colletive work; the mismatch between professional education and the demands of the current health standard; a poor physical infrastructure of the Basic Health Units; a high heath staff turnover and precarious work conditions. In addition to this, some strategies that can be used to help improve the process of providing health services have been pointed out, such as, coordination between sectors, continuous education, making work conditions less precarious and improving the means whereby heathy service management is conveyed,Tthus, finally, we understand that the FHP does bring forward meaningful changes to the process of provinding health services to strengthen the Brasilian National Health Care System (SUS), in spite of the fact that it lies within a scenario of adversities that can be overcome through the collective endeavor of the several social actors

A banalização da injustiça social no cotidiano de trabalho : a propósito da violência no trabalho e ameaça à saúde do trabalhador

Analyzes the factors that unleash violence by banalization of the problems and health questions of workers in a federal public institution, in Natal/RN. It analyzes transformations in the world of the work, with its politic, social and economic determinatives and its relation to the worker health. Boarding the violence in the work enviroment and its implications to the worker health, focusing on the banalization of problems faced by the workers as a kind of violence in and with the work. It was chosen an analitic methodology with qualitative approach, through the collection tecnic and information analyzes according to the thematic oral history, with recorders of authorized personal narratives, through individual interview with a semi-structured guide. In the analyzis of results it were made empiric cathegories: the daily work enviroment and its influence to the worker profession and life; the violence presents in the work enviroment and its consequences to the worker life and health; the banalization of the social injustice, due to violence against the worker that broked their dreams concerned to the nursing contribution. The results revealed the ordinary work of these workers showing enviromental and organizational unhealthy conditions, caracterized by physical and tecnical insecurity; absence and disqualification of instrumental and human supplies; overload and complexity service; bad distribution of the duties and pressure to the deadline and productivity, producing tension, conflict and anxiety related to the users, colleagues, superiors and to the duties. In the work enviroment, it were identified a external violence, caracterized by physical and verbal aggresion, psychic suffering, worker depreciation; and internal, caracterized by: moral and psychological molestations and accupational structural violence. These kinds of violence bring consequences to the life, that is, professional, economic and moral order of factors and to the health by biological, mental and emocional factors. The banalization of social injustice during the daily work was discussed in the aspects of banalization of problems and work conditions, the health, qualification banalizations and professional valorization. The workers expectatives pointed out to the necessity of: secure conditions of work; trainning and tecnical assistance; politics of attention to the physical, mental and social health to the workers and their family. We conclude the enviromental and organizational conditions of the workers interviewed do not offer physical and tecnical security that they need to the execution of their activities, neither offer comfort or physical and psychological satisfactions. The politic the instituition has used points out to the depreciation and inhumanization of them producing feelings as unsatisfaction, frustation and indignation related to the institution and the work, bringing suffering and physical and mental sicking. We noticed the most terrible violence found in the work enviroment is the banalization of social injustice related do the problems and health of these workers, producing a slowly debility and simbolic death of their lifes. Therefore, it is necessary the implementation of a politic that promotes assurance, health and integral education, valorization and humanization of these workers

O sofrimento do paciente na UTI : escutando a sua experiência

In tertiary care, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is nowadays one of the most complex settings in providing care to critically ill patients and could make the difference in favor of life. Nevertheless, the stigma of death which pervades the imagination when the ICU is mentioned and the excessive importance placed on machines rather than on the human being end up by causing distress to some extent. As the purpose of this investigation is to understand the distress caused to a patient in an ICU, it has been grounded on the following question: What kind of distress does a patient go through during his/her experience in an ICU? This study has, therefore, an analytical and reflexive character embedded in a qualitative dimension of a phenomenological approach based on narratives. To this purpose, five patients were interviewed from November to December 2008. Out of the empirical material gathered from these narratives we were able to identify several factors that cause distress to ICU patients. Among them were: the certainty that they are critically ill and fear death, a closed room, too much lighting, a typical loneliness arising from being isolated from family members and dear ones, lack of communication with the professional staff, and noise; besides having to undergo therapeutic procedures. In summary, although the ICU is seen as a place of distress, in many aspects and in accord with this research, such distress can and should be relieved. On the other hand, being near to death leads them to a redefinition of life, said the patients.

A fragilidade e suas representações para idosos domiciliados no contexto da estratégia de Saúde da Família

This study aims to analyze social representations of elders to their fragile situation at home, with the presence of one or more characteristics, as defined by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is a descriptive and qualitative study, based on methodological -principles of the Theory of Social Representations. Setting was the homes of elderly residents in the area ascribed to a Family Health Unit (FHU) in the city of Natal. A total of 10 elderly subjects, whose choice was intentional and according to the need for USF home visit in a period of time, considering the saturation process of the information. As collection procedures were used the semi-structured interview and participant observation in accordance with the ethical rules of Resolution No. 196/96, with the assent of the Ethics and Research UFRN. To analyze the results, it was used the thematic content analysis in the aspect of preparation of representations, focusing on the totality of the discourse of the subjects. The results indicate that most study participants felt difficult to give meaning to the terms weakness and to be weak, although many present one or more aspects of the syndrome of frailty. From the content analysis of participants speeches in this study, we achieved the following categories: fragility as illness and disease as aging, aging and frailty as causes of changes and difficulties in daily life, the presence of family life in the fragile elderly, fragility as weakness and the risk for falls, the perception of being weak like a different person in addition to the absence of fragility in elderly life. Thus, through the processes of anchoring and objectification, the "fragile being" became familiar and concrete, showing that the meaning of weakness, besides the scientific definition found in the reified universes, can be reinterpreted and built within the consensus universes. About the care received by the staff of Family Health, from the viewpoint of older people there seems to be an understanding about the role of professional nurses; on the other hand, older people often mention the role of the Community Health Agent

Experienciando a ausência do companheiro nas consultas de pré-natal

This research aimed to understand pregnant general meaning about consort absence in prenatal care. It s an exploratory and descriptive qualitative approach, developed at Centro de Saúde de Jardim Lola, São Gonçalo do Amarante / RN. Participated in investigation 20 pregnant enrolled in prenatal program, their aged over 18 years, guidance of mental faculties and who survive together her partner. Data were collected from March to May 2009, through semi-structured interview. The analysis was processed according to grounded theory and symbolic interactionism as theoretical and methodological references. To support discussions were used literature findings involving political aspects of women humanization in health care and gender relations within family. Following footsteps of points it were adopted derived following sub categories: ¨Realizing involvement of consort during prenatal¨, ¨Expressing feelings during prenatal¨ and ¨Manifesting attitudes during prenatal period¨. These, when they had their properties and dimensions analyzed, resulted in the main category ¨ Experiencing absence of compeer in clinical prenatal¨. The construction of this theory leads to conclusion that women understand absence of her partner, attributing this to even work at the moment prenatal care or does not like to attend health institutions. However, this does not mean that his presence is dismissed, because desire to be with him in prenatal care was mentioned by most interviewees. So, partner absent at time, leads women to experience desires, feelings, attitudes, perceptions and expectations about studied phenomenon. This reality, induce that absence of them partner in prenatal care predisposes women to strengthening of discomforts arising from pregnancy and therefore goes against wellbeing of pregnant, and ensure the possibility of marital discord. This requires professional nursing measures to get in inclusion of partner in daily pre-natal care in humanization perspective.

Infecção do trato urinário associada à sondagem vesical numa unidade de terapia intensiva

A descriptive, quantitative approach and non-participant observation study, which was aimed at analyzing the association between knowledge and practice of inclusion and maintenance of urinary catheter by nursing professionals in the occurrence of urinary tract infection, performed in the ICU of Onofre Lopes University Hospital in Natal / RN. The original sample was composed of 42 nursing staff professional, five (5) nurses and 37 nursing technicians, 27 of them were outsourced (FUNPEC and IEL fellows) and 10 servers UFRN. Data collection was performed using two instruments, the first observation procedures used in the insertion and manipulation of indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) and the second with a questionnaire that addressed the characterization data of respondents, knowledge and conduct the insertion and manipulation of the IUC. The results were tabulated in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS software, version 15.0. We found the prevalence of institutional staff members on outsourcing - IEL and FUNPEC - (64.3%) were female (69.0%), aged 21 to 35 years (59.5%) and with mid-level education (88.1%). As to knowledge, we found that the nurses had levels of good to excellent and the nursing technicians, to regulate the poor. The nurses made a mistake when choosing IUC (40.0%) and washing hands (30.0%) and technicians on hand washing (74.4%) and the contents of the tray (34.7%). In relation to the conduct of insertion of IUC, the nurses made a mistake when choosing SVD (66.7%) and washing hands (57.1%). Regarding the handling of IUC/drainage system, the technicians were wrong more about washing their hands (56.0%). Analyzing the misconduct to the categorization of knowledge, we saw that the nursing staff who had missed more had inadequate knowledge (ρ = 0.001). At the end we found the risk of a patient to acquire UTI is higher in two and a half times when there is a large number of mismatches, patient spends more time using the IUC and hospitalized in the ICU. As regards the study hypotheses, we accept the alternative hypothesis and reject the null hypothesis proposed at the start of this research, where the number of gaps in knowledge and behavior increases the incidence of urinary tract infection.

Atuação dos enfermeiros da estratégia de saúde da família frente à violência intrafamiliar contra a criança

The family violence against children became visible, in the context of public health, due to the damage and injuries generated in the lives of children and to the growing need of investment in physical and human resources to fill this demand. In this context, it is believed that intervention could prevent such events and are configured as primary strategies to prevent the corollaries generated by the violence. In this perspective, this study aims to analyze the performance of nurses dealing with the Strategy of Family Health viewing to identify actions based on the paradigm of health distribution. This is a descriptive, exploratory and qualitative research. The data were analyzed based on the content analysis about the method proposed by Bardin. The study was conducted in Mossoró-RN and the participants were 14 nurses working for the Family Health Strategy in Health Units of this town. The instrument for data collection was a semi-structured questionnaire, with questions answered by the participants themselves. It was evident to the study that the nurses believe that health education are the main tool for dealing with domestic violence against children, being developed, however, in its positivist and vertical way. The actions used to develop health performed by the team on their daily lives are limited to educational activities and are carried exactly when cases of family violence against children are notified. Barriers to the practice emerged from fear of reprisals from the agressor, overwork, lack of management support and difficulty for the realization of interdisciplinary, intersectorality and comprehensive care.

O homem na estratégia de saúde da família

The research aimed to understand the general perception of men about their health care in a health unit família. This is an exploratory and descriptive qualitative approach, developed at the Center for Health Dr Vulpiano Cavalcante in the City of Parnamirim / RN. Participated in the investigation 12 men enrolled in the Estratégia de Saúde da Família ESF (Family Health Strategy), in the age-group 20 to 59 years lived in the catchment area of one of the ESF teams unit above. Data were collected from July to August 2009, through structured interviews, which, after transcription have undergone a process of identifying meaning units, coded and categorized according to the precepts of content analysis according to Bardin. Following in the footsteps of this method, originated the following themes: "Revealing what motivates men to seek assistance in the Estratégia de Saúde da Família," "Expressing knowledge of the Estratégia de Saúde da Família ", "an opinion about the care health and relationship with the ESF. The analysis was processed according to the principles of symbolic interactionism as Blumer. To support the discussions were used literary themes about man in the context of public health policies and the man in the family and the influences of gender. These, when they had their properties and dimensions analyzed, raised the central category Man on the Estratégia de Saúde da Família . The results show that respondents have limited knowledge about the ESF, your actions turn to use the service when no obligation arising from discomforts and accuracy of care. Moreover, delivering the opinion of the care with your health, even need, but recognizing that do not perform self-care. Given this reality, we can conclude that the perception of the man about his health in the ESF permeates gender issues that influence their behavior toward disease prevention and health promotion. This situation requires that the professionals and managers of health initiatives for the inclusion of man in the actions of the ESF assistance starting from the understanding of their conceptions of health care.