Perfis e práticas dos profissionais de saúde mental em dois hospitais psiquiátricos de grande porte

In the Brazilian network of psychosocial care, health professionals are important actors in the process of transformation of mental health public policies among various services. In the reality of psychiatric hospitals, one should understand the need to expand the debate about the current context of practices developed. This study aimed at analyzing the process of psychiatric reform and the mental health policy in the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) from the profiles and practices of higher-level professionals in two psychiatric hospitals. This is a cross-sectional and descriptive research, with quantitative and qualitative data, conducted in two psychiatric hospitals of RN. The universe of the target population was 95 professionals, taking into account the margin of error of 8%, non-response rate and the inclusion criteria: holding effective link with the institution by means of approval in public examination for, at least, six months, being state or municipal servant; having a minimum weekly workload of 20 hours in service; participating in care and/or activities with patients and families in a direct way. The final sample consisted of 60 professionals. The tool for data collection was a questionnaire with closed and semi-open questions about socioeconomic profile, and mental health policies, practices and training. Quantitative data were tabulated in the statistical software SPSS, and simple and bivariate statistics, chi-square type, was used for analysis by adopting the significance level with the value p<0,05. In order to analyze data, the content analysis of Bardin was used. The qualitative findings obtained with the semi-open questions in Analyse Lexicale par Context d'un Ensemble de Segments de Texte (ALCESTE) were grouped into four thematic axes: Professional action in mental health; Mental health training; Scenarios of psychiatric reform and psychiatric hospitals; Mental health policies and practices: challenges for professionals in hospitals. The profile of professionals has revealed the majority of women (89,7%), nurses (36,7%), aged 50-59 years (42,9%), weekly workload of 40 hours (52,4% ), time of completion of graduation from six to 15 years (57%), and 21,4% reported to have specialization in mental health. Regarding the practices developed in individual care, it was found an association between those who do not build or partially conducts the therapeutic project and those who conduct care related to observation and annotation. In family care, it was obtained care consultation during crisis; and, in group care, recreational activities. In the analysis of thematic axes, it was noted that, despite changes identified in the profiles and practices of higher-level professionals in care services for mental health, with the implementation of new public policies for this field, the findings indicate the confluence of asymmetries and divergences in the actions of the teams in psychiatric hospitals, difficulties in managing services, frequent readmissions, reduced quantitative of available services and equipment, high demand of users, disarticulation of the network of psychosocial care, and the very shortage of skilled human resources to compose these services. Accordingly, the evidenced scenarios partially outline the current political and ideological mismatch of the national process of psychiatric reform that denies the role of care actions conducted within hospitals, although it has not gone far enough with the creation of new services that justify the total extinction of this institution

A reforma psiquiátrica e a política de saúde mental do Rio Grande do Norte: papéis e funções de profissionais e gestores

This study arose from an interest in knowing the reality of mental health care in Rio Grande do Norte (RN) on the advances and challenges in the intersectoral agreements paths and consolidation of the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) from the state. Considering problematic and concerns were defined as objectives: Identify the knowledge of managers of Rio Grande do Norte on the National Mental Health Policy (PNSM) in the RN State; Describe the activities developed by health professionals in the individual service offered in the CAPS from RN; Understanding the relationship of managers’ knowledge on national mental health policy in professionals’ practice working in the the CAPS from the countryside. It is a descriptive study with a quantitative and qualitative approach, carried out in 30 CAPS from RN’s countryside, where 183 professionals answered a structured questionnaire with closed questions about the activities they do in individual care; and 19 mental health coordinators of municipalities and the state coordinator of RAPS were interviewed about their knowledge on the Mental Health Policy. Data were collected after approval by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, with the number 508.430 CAAE: 25851913.7.0000.5537 from August through October of 2014 in 26 municipalities with CAPS from the state. Quantitative data were tabulated and analyzed using a descriptive statistics aided by the software Statistical Package for the Social Scienses (SPSS) version 20.0. The qualitative data were prepared in a corpus and analyzed through software Analyse Lexicale par Contexte d’um Ensemble de Segments de Texte (ALCESTE) that allow to perform textual statistical analysis and categorization from their comments, submitted to Bardin content analysis. Five categories were generated approaching the managers’ knowledge, namely: Back to society: leadership and users’ role and autonomy; The gap between policy and practice; Barriers that affect the service; Structuring the Psychosocial Care Network; Multidisciplinary team: attribuitios and activities. The CAPS professionals’ ages ranged from 20 to 58 years, prevailing females, with 76.5% of the total, the majority were social workers (16.8%), psychologists (15.3%), nurses (14.8%) and nursing technicians (14.8%). The results showed precariousness in care associated with physical workload regard to high workload and low wages of the CAPS professionals' and, also, it was possible to observe a large involvement of professionals in care delivery, despite the difficulties encountered in services. It was found little knowledge in managers regarding the National Mental Health Policy having as causes of this reality the poor education and training of these professionals. The responses of professionals working in care reveals strong consistency with what is expected of a psychosocial care service. Points up as a thesis of this study that the psychiatric reform and mental health policy in Rio Grande do Norte is following a structural expansion process, but with precariousness of services from a still unprepared management to act in a psychosocial context.

A articulação entre a estratégia saúde da família e o Centro de Atenção Psicossocial: análise de experiência em município do Nordeste brasileiro

The antimanicomial psychiatric reform is a process that seeks to deconstruct the exclusionary logic caused by hospitalizations, providing strategies for social reintegration of individuals. In this sense, the primary care through the Family Health Strategy - FHS comes progressively becoming strategic space in mental health interventions, configured as a field of practice and production of new modes of care. In this perspective, there has been a process of implementing this proposal in the Areia Branca City/RN, through the articulation of Psychosocial Care Network and the Family Health Strategy / ESF. However, this process has not been able to bring changes in practices. From the view that the relationship between mental health and primary care is a challenge currently being faced, that improving the care provided and the expansion of the access to services with guaranteed continuity of care depend on the effectiveness of this joint, established themselves as research objective: To investigate how is the relationship between the FHS team and CAPS team in care mental health in the town of Areia Branca - RN from the speeches of professionals. And if you had specific purposes: 1) Know the demand in existing mental health in the town of White Sand - RN served by FHS; 2) Identify limits and difficulties in the relationship between the ESF teams and CAPS; 3) Identify potential for linkages between ESF teams and CAPS for the establishment of local RAPS. This was a descriptive, exploratory study with a qualitative methodological design, whose subjects were professionals from the Family Health Strategy, professionals Psychosocial Care Center and responsible for the conduct / management of mental health in the municipality. The research tools used informal observations, semistructured interviews and focus groups were used. The data obtained were analyzed for the content analysis of Bardin, allowing discuss the relevance of the theoretical framework with data obtained through observation and interpretation of the relationship between the Family Health Strategy and the network of Psychosocial Care in Areia Branca-RN. On the one hand, there was strong demand for mental health arising from users and their families and / or caregivers. On the other, it was verified that although there is some progress with regard to perceptions of mental health, there are still practical, historical and contextually rooted, which act as barriers to effective response to this demand in view of deinstitutionalization. In this sense, it is considered important to emphasize that the teams of the Family Health Strategy should be trained to ensure the health practice with integrity and incorporating the mental health network in the municipality. This training must occur through continuing health education.

Visita interprofissional da cardiologia: uma estratégia de educação interprofissional na área da saúde na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

The interprofessional education still represents a great challenge for the health education. This paper aims at implementing the Interprofessional Cardiology Visit (VIC, acronym in Portuguese) as a teaching strategy for the interprofessional education in the undergraduate and graduate courses of UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, acronym in Portuguese). It is a prospective and exploratory study held from March 2013 to November 2014, in the cardiology department of HUOL (Portuguese acronym for Onofre Lopes University Hospital), including health professionals from the mentioned hospital (doctor, psycologist, physiotherapist, dentist, social assistant, nutritionist, pharmacist and nurse), undergraduate and graduate students from the health courses of UFRN. The study happened in three parts: interprofessional activity planning; Implementation of the activity “Interprofessional Cardiology Visit (VIC)”; and Activity evaluation, this last one was made through focus groups. The process of planning and implementation of the VIC was described during the implementation phase: 60 meetings in which 1324 participants discussed one specific patient per meeting. After each case presentation, an interprofessional discussion was held, pointing out each professional’s specific point of view towards improving the overall care of that discussed patient. From the focus group analysis, five categories emerged: Recognition of previous participations in interprofessional activities; Conceptual vision of interprofessional activities; Impacts of the VIC to the patient’s care; Contributions of VIC to the professional training; and Challenges of VIC continuation. The making and planning of VIC process has reached its goals, despite of some health professional’s participation not being systematic due to work overload, such as the nurses’ case, as well as schedule difficulties. The VIC was praised as a successful experience and considered an initiative with positive impact for improving the care of patients with heart diseases. It is clear, from analyzing the discourses, that the VIC is a strategy which positively impacts both the care and the teaching. However, some difficulties remain, such as the lack of human resources and the challenge of making it systematic.

Preceptoria em profissionais de saúde: viabilizando meios para uma formação pedagógica em hospitais públicos em Natal-RN

This study aimed to construct and carry out a distance course of pedagogical training for health professional performing preceptorship functions in public health institutions. The preceptorship in health is a pedagogical practice that occurs in workplace, led by assistance professionals with teaching position or not, where the vast majority of these acts intuitively, reproducing their own training, confusing transmitting information with education. These preceptors often do not dominate the pedagogical knowledge, necessary for the organization of training activities, such as the various teaching-learning processes and the different assessment types. Student supervision is essential in the training process of students in the health field, and on the occasion of supervised internships that the teaching-learning process is based on practical experience with participation in real life situations and professional work. It was realized an exploratory study, descriptive with qualitative approach, with the development of tutoring teaching course in health as final product. Applied semi structured research instrument from may to july 2014. It were evaluated 162 health professionals who perform the preceptorship, which made it possible define the preceptor's profile and identify the educational requirements related to the educational process, which justified the construction of the program content and the professionals’ perception analysis about preceptorship through identification of three categories: clinic knowledge valuation; valuation of professional orientation and valuation of professional future. The course was available on distance mode through Moodle platform with forty hours of work load from October to November 2014. With the aim of capacitate the health professionals to development of necessary abilities and skills to tutoring performance through thoughts about tutoring concepts, professional training within the curricular guidelines and SUS precepts, the role of health professionals as educators, application of active teaching methodologies, and evaluation methods. The applications were done online through the provided link; 300 vacancies offered, 243 professionals applied, chosen 134 that works on tutoring, where 49 represented professionals that works on the location of the study. The course lasted 45 days, and counted with tutors responsible to interact and evaluate the students. 28 professionals joined the course, 12 concluded. Opportunities were identified to stimulate the involvement, however the professionals’ satisfaction shows that, make an investment on tutors education, starting from the Permanent Education precepts, will provide a bigger appropriation of the knowledge to the education and therefore the awareness of their role as an educator on work ambit, proportioning essential tools to tutors act while enabler of integration between theory and practice and result better teaching-learning process.

Trabalho e saúde: análise da relação entre condições de trabalho e motivação no emprego e suas interfaces com a saúde dos profissionais nos hospitais públicos

Health results from the interaction of biological, social, economic, political and cultural factors. Under this perspective, we aim to analyze the relationship among working in public emergency hospitals and the health-sickness of the professionals who work there. We are based in a quantitative and qualitative research, in which 240 health professionals (doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, dentists, nutritionists, audiologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists) answered a survey. All of them recognize the importance of work to guarantee favorable conditions to good health. However, they highlight its physical and mental wear effects on workers like stress, absence of a healthy life-style, high blood pressure, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and sleep disorders. It becomes urgent to face this reality, to enhance professionals' health and, consequently, the quality of user’s assistance, since the illness of health workers is strongly correlated with the existing health model in society.

Gasto com a internação de idosos em unidades de terapia intensiva

Introduction: Population aging in Brazil underscores the need to discuss the proper management of the budget allocated in health field, especially in the sectors of high complexity, where coexist costly procedures, limited resources and the need for cost containment. In the other hand, demand is growing in a way directly proportional to the increase in the number of elderly in country. Objective: In this way, this research had as main objective to analyze the costs resulting from the admission of elderly in intensive care units (ICU) and its associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach and featured as a descriptive and exploratory research. Data were collected from medical records of elderly hospitalized in ICU from a brazilian city called Natal-RN, between november first, 2013 and january, 31 of 2014. The variables collected relate to the socio demographic profile, morbidity framework and characterization of hospitalization. The dependent variable was categorized by quartile 75 in high and low expense of hospitalization and submitted to chi-square test with the independent variables of the survey. Associations with p value <0.20 in the bivariate analysis were submitted to the technique of multiple logistic regression. We opted for the construction of three regression models from the above algorithm: general regression model, composed by all 493 hospitalizations in the study, other made with 181 individuals admitted in health public system (SUS) and a third one related to 312 cases from private service in health area. Results: In the general regression model, the variables respiratory diseases, hospitalizations in the private system, disoriented patient and previous stroke were associated with greater probability of high spending in the ICU. In the other hand, in SUS kind of hospitalizations, this probability was associated with disoriented patient, 80 years old or more, sepsis and admission for clinical reason. In the cases from the private network health, the high expenditure was associated with respiratory disease, mechanical ventilation, hospitalization for clinical reason and disoriented patients. Conclusion: The increased expenditure on hospitalization of elderly in intensive care depends on the clinical conditions of individuals. This highlights the importance of avoiding hospitalizations due to diseases sensitive to primary care by health preventive actions and providing comprehensive care to the elderly. In addition, obtaining different explanatory models, according to kind hospital funding, demonstrates the importance of the organization in health services related to composition of costs of hospitalization among the elderly. Another question founded was the need that to improve the funding, we must use rationally the available resources by avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations of elderly people in the extremes of severity. On this kind of precarious funding, ICU hospitalization of elderly non-critical or in a terminal state can compromise the quality of services provided to those who really need intensive care.

Avaliação do ensino da obstretícia e da assistência ao parto sob a percepção dos graduandos em medicina e enfermagem na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

OBJETIVE: To evaluate the perception of Medical and Nursing students of Medicine and Nursing graduation courses at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), on obstetrics teaching and labor assistance in the context of the maternal care provided by the Maternity Hospital Januário Cicco (MEJC) and contribute to curricular updating planning of teaching obstetrics, in accordance with the principles of humanization. METHODS: It was conducted a study of cross-cutting approach and qualitative and quantitative descriptive method, with students in medicine and nursing of UFRN, who were attending or had been attended the midwifery disciplines medicine; and women's health in nursing. The data were collected through a questionnaire with objective and subjective questions, and stored in a database, spreadsheet software Excel / Office 2010 with all the variables. RESULTS: We interviewed 169 students, 118 of medical school and 51 from the nursing program, of which 46.75% were male and 53.25% female. The largest number of medical respondents is the 11th period (40.67%), and nursing, on 10, (43.15%). These students witnessed 1,073 births, and (61.8%) vaginal deliveries. The obstetricians were the most performed vaginal deliveries (40%). Nurses performed only (8.13%). The assistance provided to women during the process of labor and delivery, was configured as suitable for 87.58% of respondents and these glimpsed humane conduct. Students who performed deliveries, 76.27% were medical and 11.76% were nursing. All had guidance while doing them. A total of 19.50% medical students reported that there is a prejudice against vaginal delivery, particularly for the humanized birth, unlike all nursing students (100%) who reported that there is this prejudice. Most students (73%) showed preference for vaginal delivery, especially nursing students. On the knowledge of myths in relation to vaginal delivery, 60.35% answered that they know some. CONCLUSION: This study presents itself as a highly relevant, since the results may contribute to curricular changing and updating related to obstetrics teaching, but also serve as a resource for analysis of humanization practices that should be developed in educational institutions and which are recommended by the Ministry of Health.

Serviços-escola de psicologia do Rio Grande do Norte: formação profissional e política pública de saúde em debate

The Psychology University Services is stablished normatively as an indispensable equipment to the recognition of the graduation courses of psychologists by the Brazilian Education Ministery. The Public Healthcare Policies (Universal Health System/SUS) constitutes itself as a input field of the professional category, but shows huge challenges in the formation of these professionals. The objective of this work is to analyse the functioning of the Psychology University Services (SEP) and the Superior Educational Institutions from Natal, understood as important formation devices to attend the actual demands of the psychologist's work on SUS. For this, it sought a) characterize the psychological practices developed in the SEP; b) relate the National Curricular Lines of Direction of the psychology courses to the skills and competences developed in the SEP to the performance on the public healthcare policies; c) mapping ways of including the SEP in the network designed by the healthcare policy. Interviews were performed with 13 academic supervisors, 8 field supervisors and technicians of superior level (TNC), along with 9 managers, being for of the Psychology University Services and 5 of the graduation programs. Questionnaires were also applied to 57 interns and 24 graduates. Besides that, two conversation circles were performed with the faculty and technician members from two of the Educational Institutions that were participating of the research, as well as a workshop with students and psychologists, promoted by the CRP 17. We observed that most part of the faculty members and managers know the DCN and comprehend that the formation is in process of change in what concerns to the extension of the formation to the performance of the psychologists in various contexts. However, most part of the TNC don't know about them. Moreover, the results point to the predominance of the assisting model based on the traditional clinic psychology, although the articulation with the public healthcare and social assistance networks can already be timidly visualized. Different modalities of practices in theses Psychology University Services were also detected, such as conversation groups, thematic workshops, organizational consultancies, team meetings with the interns and TNS in a daily basis, matriciament in mental health, therapeutic monitoring, among others. Yet, the SEP in Rio Grande do Norte are still isolated from the other courses that perform in the healthcare area and also from the services that compose the public healthcare and public policies.

Protocolo para assistência do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico em terapia intensiva: construção e validação de conteúdo

Tratar-se-á de um estudo metodológico, com abordagem quantitativa; baseado no referencial metodológico da técnica Delphi, com objetivo de construir e validar um protocolo clínico para assistência do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. A proposta metodológica seguiu duas etapas: elaboração do instrumento por meio da revisão integrativa da literatura e validação de conteúdo do protocolo. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, mediante o Parecer CAAE 41873314.5.0000.5537. O universo amostral foi composto por profissionais enfermeiros, considerados peritos, doutores ou mestres na área da saúde, com experiência em alta complexidade e/ ou estudos de validação de instrumento/protocolo, selecionados por meio da Plataforma Lattes. Referente à primeira etapa elaborou-se um instrumento composto pela caracterização profissional dos peritos; e baseado em evidência científica e nas diretrizes do Surviving Sepsis Campaign, contemplando três tópicos assistenciais ao paciente com sepse, a saber: Triagem para Sepse- Reconhecimento das Manifestações Clínicas; Pacote de Ressuscitação Inicial (Controle das Primeiras 6 Horas); Tratamento de Suporte. A segunda etapa caracterizou-se na validação de conteúdo do instrumento para elaboração final do protocolo, utilizando à técnica Delphi, em duas fases. No que concernem as variáveis referentes ao estudo, na 1ª fase de Delphi, 34 peritos avaliaram o instrumento composto por 18 itens, no período de maio a julho de 2015, e os dados foram analisados pela estatística descritiva (frequência, média, mediana e desvio padrão) e pelo Índice de Validade de Conteúdo (IVC), demonstrando um IVC extremamente satisfatório para 15 itens, com total de 0,79, obtendo assim, a reformulação e refinamento do conteúdo do instrumento. Na segunda fase de Delphi, entre julho e agosto de 2015, participaram 26 peritos, e utilizou-se o percentual de concordância acima de 75% para as variáveis consideradas pertinentes ao protocolo de cuidados ao paciente séptico em UTI, obtendo nesta fase, o percentual de concordância de 95%. O protocolo foi concluído com 15 itens, sendo respaldado e modificado, baseado em evidência científica, nas diretrizes internacionais e nas sugestões dos peritos. A utilização do protocolo proposto poderá contribuir para a prática clínica do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva.

Protocolo para assistência do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico em terapia intensiva: construção e validação de conteúdo

Tratar-se-á de um estudo metodológico, com abordagem quantitativa; baseado no referencial metodológico da técnica Delphi, com objetivo de construir e validar um protocolo clínico para assistência do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. A proposta metodológica seguiu duas etapas: elaboração do instrumento por meio da revisão integrativa da literatura e validação de conteúdo do protocolo. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, mediante o Parecer CAAE 41873314.5.0000.5537. O universo amostral foi composto por profissionais enfermeiros, considerados peritos, doutores ou mestres na área da saúde, com experiência em alta complexidade e/ ou estudos de validação de instrumento/protocolo, selecionados por meio da Plataforma Lattes. Referente à primeira etapa elaborou-se um instrumento composto pela caracterização profissional dos peritos; e baseado em evidência científica e nas diretrizes do Surviving Sepsis Campaign, contemplando três tópicos assistenciais ao paciente com sepse, a saber: Triagem para Sepse- Reconhecimento das Manifestações Clínicas; Pacote de Ressuscitação Inicial (Controle das Primeiras 6 Horas); Tratamento de Suporte. A segunda etapa caracterizou-se na validação de conteúdo do instrumento para elaboração final do protocolo, utilizando à técnica Delphi, em duas fases. No que concernem as variáveis referentes ao estudo, na 1ª fase de Delphi, 34 peritos avaliaram o instrumento composto por 18 itens, no período de maio a julho de 2015, e os dados foram analisados pela estatística descritiva (frequência, média, mediana e desvio padrão) e pelo Índice de Validade de Conteúdo (IVC), demonstrando um IVC extremamente satisfatório para 15 itens, com total de 0,79, obtendo assim, a reformulação e refinamento do conteúdo do instrumento. Na segunda fase de Delphi, entre julho e agosto de 2015, participaram 26 peritos, e utilizou-se o percentual de concordância acima de 75% para as variáveis consideradas pertinentes ao protocolo de cuidados ao paciente séptico em UTI, obtendo nesta fase, o percentual de concordância de 95%. O protocolo foi concluído com 15 itens, sendo respaldado e modificado, baseado em evidência científica, nas diretrizes internacionais e nas sugestões dos peritos. A utilização do protocolo proposto poderá contribuir para a prática clínica do enfermeiro ao paciente séptico na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva.

Near miss materno e iniquidades em saúde: análise de determinantes contextuais no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The scope of this study was to identify socioeconomic contextual and health care factors in primary care associated with maternal near misses and their marker conditions. This is an ecological study that used aggregated data of 63 clusters formed by the municipalities of State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using the Skater method of area regionalization, as the unit of analysis. The ratio of maternal near misses and their marker conditions were obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a significant association between maternal near misses and variables of poverty and poor primary health care. Hypertensive disorders were also associated with poverty and poor primary care and the occurrence of hemorrhaging was associated with infant mortality. It was observed that the occurrence of maternal near misses is linked to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and poor quality health care that are a reflection of public policies that accentuate health inequalities.

Near miss materno e iniquidades em saúde: análise de determinantes contextuais no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The scope of this study was to identify socioeconomic contextual and health care factors in primary care associated with maternal near misses and their marker conditions. This is an ecological study that used aggregated data of 63 clusters formed by the municipalities of State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using the Skater method of area regionalization, as the unit of analysis. The ratio of maternal near misses and their marker conditions were obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a significant association between maternal near misses and variables of poverty and poor primary health care. Hypertensive disorders were also associated with poverty and poor primary care and the occurrence of hemorrhaging was associated with infant mortality. It was observed that the occurrence of maternal near misses is linked to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and poor quality health care that are a reflection of public policies that accentuate health inequalities.

Impacto do Programa Saúde da Família sobre indicadores de saúde da criança em municípios de grande porte da região Nordeste do Brasil

The present study carried out in the context of the Baseline Studies of the PROESF was aimed at evaluating the impact of the Family Health Program (PSF) on indicators for child health in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the Brazilian Northeast. Four cities were investigated. In each one, twenty censual sectors were selected randomly from areas covered by the PSF and compared with twenty sectors selected from areas not covered by the PSF on the basis of socioeconomic criteria. In most cases, no significant differences were found between the areas covered and not covered by the PSF. The only difference found was a significantly lower rate of hospital admissions due to diarrhea but this was on account of the Program of Community Health Agents. The PSF exerted no additional effect on the reduction of this indicator. It was also observed that the way by which the program is implemented in each city interferes directly in the results. Thus, there is no basis for considering the PSF per se ineffective or not differing from other programs with regard to its health care patterns. An evaluation of the PSF would necessarily have to include an analysis of the way the program is implemented and conducted in each case, besides considering its general socioeconomical and political characteristics.

A produção do cuidado no período gravídico-puerperal: experiência de mulheres usuárias de serviços públicos de saúde

Despite numerous government projects aimed at reorganizing and qualifying obstetric and neonatal care in Brazil, it remains problematic, with repercussions for maternal and newborn mortality and humanized care of both the mother and child. The objective of this study was to analyze the care provided to women during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle, based on reports of public health service users regarding their pregnancy and delivery experiences, using comprehensiveness and humanization as reference. The study applied a qualitative approach and the methodological strategy consisted of listening to the women, in order to identify, based on the meanings of their discourse concerning their experiences with health services, continuities and discontinuities of care during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle. Study participants were women who gave birth at a municipal public maternity, residents of Natal, Brazil, who at the time of the interviews, were between 10 and 42 days postpartum. Seven women reported their pregnancy and delivery experiences at public services. As interviews and observation took place, the material produced was also analyzed, in order to achieve simultaneous production and data analysis. Using systematization, a dialogue was established between the women’s discourses and production in the field of Collective Health, with respect to concepts and discussion about obstetric and neonatal care as well as the Comprehensiveness and Humanization of such care. Participant discourses underscored aspects related to prenatal care starting at pregnancy and its repercussions as well as prenatal monitoring by health services; aspects associated with care during labor and delivery, as well as those involved in postpartum in the maternity, both with respect to newborn and maternal careç and lastly, puerperium care after discharge from the maternity. Analysis of results sought to identify lines of continuity and discontinuity in the comprehensiveness and humanization of care. Based on these lines and as final contributions of the study, the following paths were proposed to achieve comprehensive and humanized production of health care for women during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle: Path 1- Reassess care in the maternal and newborn health network, aimed at comprehensiveness in terms of guaranteeing access to the various services and technological resources available to enhance health and life. Path 2- Reorganize work processes in order to attain comprehensive and humanized care for women in the pregnancy-puerperium cycle. Path 3 – Qualify the professional-user relationship in care management during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle. Path 4 – Invest in the qualification of communication processes in the different dimensions of care during the pregnancy-puerperium cycle.