Tecendo vivências e sentidos do câncer infantil : família, doença e redes de apoio social em Natal-RN

This paper discusses the experiences related to the treatment of children´s cancer which had children, their mothers and families as their main characters. They were mainly originated from areas in the countryside and urban poor areas in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The non-governmental organization Grupo de Apoio à Criança com Câncer (GACC) was the privileged ethnographic location. In this setting, the mother, which was called acompanhante (companion), and the children, defined as pacientes (patients), were often sheltered in reason of therapeutic practices and the treatment undertaken by children in a nearby hospital. This study aims to focus on the therapeutic itinerary, beyond the children´s suffering, dealing with the family as a whole, since the moral values from these popular families imply the complete involvement of the family in relation to the illness and its treatment. Therefore, it is experienced as a family problem. We also intend to understand the construction of meanings to the illness, dealing with the ideological continuity in the relationships between the families and the GACC. These meanings were built in the intersection of these two spheres, which refer particularly to medical, religious and emotional explanations. Ethnographic methods were applied in this research at the entity and another social contexts, such as the family households. I also tried to retrieve the process of treatment outside the GACC, visiting the family context, when doing dense interviews or just having conversations with informants. It was found that the GACC, as a non-governmental organization, generates a negotiation of identities, which develops, then, through the family as a whole, but also through the child and especially the mother, affecting, in some way, their internal organization. Furthermore, the meanings of the experience of illness appeared to be shaped by the family sphere as well as by the logic of public health structures

Associação entre as narrativas em saúde bucal e condições socioeconômico-culturais: a dentição como reflexo da desigualdade social

This anthropological study investigates the lived-experience of oral diseases in the context of poverty in Northeast Brazil. During six months in 2004???, ethnographic interviews, narratives and participant-observation with 31 residents of the low-income community, Dendê, located in Fortaleza, Ceará were conducted and analyzed utilizing a hermeneutic-dialetic method. It is revealed that precarious life conditions make prioritizing caretaking a difficult task. Despite suffering tooth pain, seeking a dentist's care is perceived as "a luxury" not a citzens' right. Difficulties in accessing services and poor quality restorations, favor tooth extractions as the most effective intervention. The deterioration of one's oral health is lamented by community members who seek help from popular clinics, politicians and traditional healers. The experience of dental disease differs according to social class, leaves oral scars of inequity, harms self-esteem and inhibits social inclusion. In this context, "treating" the Teeth of Inequity demands that we deepen our comprehension of the social determinants of health, reduce injustice in the access to quality care, remove demoralizing stigmas and empower the community to confront structural forces which affect its life

Risco de contagio pela HIV e as medidas de biossegurança: Significados atribuídos no kcontexto da formação do profisional de saúde

Estudo com abordagem qualititativa, teve como objetivo geral, analisar as representações sociais sobre o risco de contágio do HIV construídas por estudantes universitários portugueses da área de saúde, apontando-se aspectos psicossociais à adoção das medidas de biossegurança. A coleta de dados foi realizada no período de fevereiro a junho de 2007, com a participação total de 486 estudantes da área de saúde de instituições de ensino superior, em Lisboa (Portugal), distribuídos em 248 de Medicina, 168 de Enfermagem e 70 de Medicina Dentária. Os estudantes concordaram em participar da primeira etapa da coleta de dados, constituída por um Teste de Associação Livre de Palavras com seis temas indutores de respostas e um questionário. Na segunda etapa, caracterizada por uma entrevista semi-estruturada , participaram 60 estudantes, sendo 20 de Medicina, 24 de Enfermagem e 16 de Medicina Dentária. Os dados coletados foram processados pelos sofwares SPAD-T e ALCESTE e discutidos com suporte teórico da Teoria das Representações Sociais. Os resultados revelam representações sociais atribuídas ao HIV e aids através das palavras: vírus, incurável, medo, toxicodependencia, discriminação, sofrimento e morte. Ao pensar no cuidado para o paciente, os estudantes assinala para um fazer com dificuldade e inexperiência, que gera nervosismo e medo. Em relação ao risco de contágio do HIV, os participantes associam a proteção, medo e sangue, atribuíndo sentidos as medidas de biossegurança pela proteção com luvas e preservativo, influenciado principalmente por ser uma doença incurável e que causa sofrimento e discriminação. As conclusões revelam que as representações sociais atribuídas a aids e ao risco de contágio do HIV fortalece a proteção e o cuidado para uso de medidas de biossegurança. A compreensão desses significados no processo ensino-aprendizagem devem ser assumidos como instrumento norteador para a formação do profissional da saúde pelas instituições responsáveis

Doença cardiovascular em mulheres com histórico de pré-eclâmpsia e seguimento no sistema único de saúde

The aim of the present study was to analyze cardiovascular risk of women with a history of preeclampsia, as well as its follow-upin the National Health System.This is a cross-sectional quantitative research conducted at the Januário Cicco Maternity School. The study population was composed of 573 women selected from a databank belonging to the Women s Health Research Group of the Gynecology Department at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, with a history of preeclampsia, and normotensives who gave birth at this institution five years before. The final sample consisted of 147 women, 64 in the group with a history of PE and 83 normotensives. Data were collected on a questionnaire containing the following: sociodemographic aspects, anthropometric measures, life habits, personal and family history of pregnancy-induced hypertension, family history of cardiovascular diseases and frequency of measuring current blood pressure levels. In relation to the association between cardiovascular risk and altered blood pressure (≥130x85 mmHg), the likelihood of exhibiting the latter condition was significantly higher in women with a history of preeclampsia (CI 95% 4.12-38.92), the overweight and obese (CI 95% 1.70-20.75), and in those with a family historyof CVD and personal history of PIH (CI 95% 0.78-47.07 and CI 95% 3.20-25.39) respectively. Likewise, the probability of having altered blood pressure was higher in women with fasting glycemia ≥100mg/dL (CI 95% 2.09-24.73), as well as in those with triglycerides ≥150mg/dl (CI 95% 1.72-9.66). After fitting the logistic model, diagnosis previous preeclampsia and altered triglycerides remained as explanatory variables.The women with a history of preeclampsia five years before exhibited altered blood pressure levels, clinical and laboratory manifestations suggestive of elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, as well as family and personal history of hypertension. There is no differential treatment or adequate outpatient follow-up for this population in basic health care units

O direito à saúde e a política nacional de atenção oncológica: uma análise a partir da crescente judicialização dos medicamentos antineoplásicos

The 1988 Federal Constitution of Brazil by presenting the catalog of fundamental rights and guarantees (Title II) provides expressly that such rights reach the social, economic and cultural rights (art. 6 of CF/88) as a means not only to ratify the civil and political rights, but also to make them effective and practical in the life of the Brazilian people, particularly in the prediction of immediate application of those rights and guarantees. In this sense, health goes through condition of universal right and duty of the State, which should be guaranteed by social and economic policies aimed at reducing the risk of disease and other hazards, in addition to ensuring universal and equal access to actions and services for its promotion, protection and recovery (Article 196 by CF/88). Achieving the purposes aimed by the constituent to the area of health is the great challenge that requires the Health System and its managers. To this end, several policies have been structured in an attempt to establish actions and services for the promotion, protection and rehabilitation of diseases and disorders to health. In the mid-90s, in order to meet the guidelines and principles established by the SUS, it was established the Política Nacional de Atenção Oncológica PNAO, in an attempt to sketch out a public policy that sought to achieve maximum efficiency and to be able to give answers integral to effective care for patients with cancer, with emphasis on prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care. However, many lawsuits have been proposed with applications for anticancer drugs. These actions have become very complex, both in the procedural aspects and in all material ones, especially due to the highcost drugs more requested these demands, as well as need to be buoyed by the scientific evidence of these drugs in relation to proposed treatments. The jurisprudence in this area, although the orientations as outlined by the Parliament of Supreme Court is still in the process of construction, this study is thus placed in the perspective of contributing to the effective and efficient adjudication in these actions, with focus on achieving the fundamental social rights. Given this scenario and using research explanatory literature and documents were examined 108 lawsuits pending in the Federal Court in Rio Grande do Norte, trying to identify the organs of the Judiciary behave in the face of lawsuits that seeking oncology drugs (or antineoplastic), seeking to reconcile the principles and constitutional laws and infra constitutional involving the theme in an attempt to contribute to a rationalization of this judicial practice. Finally, considering the Rational Use of health demands and the idea of belonging to the Brazilian people SUS, it is concluded that the judicial power requires ballast parameters of their decisions on evidence-based medicine, aligning these decisions housing constitutional principles that the right to health and the scientific conclusions of efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency in oncology drugs, when compared to the treatments offered by SUS

O concreto e o simbólico no cotidiano da educação em saúde: práticas, representações e processo identitário dos agentes comunitários de saúde de João Pessoa PB

The present study is about an etnographic research based on the Theory of Social Representation and its complementary approach, the Theory of Central Core based on the bourdiesianos concepts of field and habitus , concerning that these concepts, articulated to the constructed social representation, may contribute to the study of social identities. Its aim is to acknowledge which identity references community health agents (CHA), agents from Community Health Agent Program (CHAP) and Family Health Program (FHP) from João Pessoa PB and which social representation is constructed by them towards health education. The study had the participation of 119 CHAs, from which 90,3 % were female and 9,7% were male. Since the identity is also built by the representation of others towards the group, 63 professionals of the FHP group (16 nurses, 16 nursing assistents, 12 doctors, 9 dentists, 6 dentistry office assistents, 4 coordinators, 1 psicologist and 1 receptionist) and 1 nurse from CHAP took part of the study, oficial documents from the Health Ministry were analyzed, verbal information from its representatives were also taken into consideration, as well as reports from the many benefitiaries of the CHA, CHAP and FHP. For data collecting, we used the combination of (a) Direct Observation and Participant Observation of the functioning micro-areas of the CHA at the Family Health Units, and the Union of the Agents; (b) Free-Association of words and expressions to stimulate the CHA , Health Education and Health ; (c) Questionnaire; (d) Interviews. The interviews were submitted to a thematic analysis of its topic. The free-association was analyzed taking in consideration the vèrgesiana proposal (a combination of the frequency and average order of evocation) which treatment enabled the identification of the central and peripheral systems of social representation towards health education and the community health agent. A test of central refutation, associated to the analysis of the indicated evocations as the most important, provided empirical evidence of social representation towards health education as orientation , prevention and hygiene , as well as the identity of CHA as supervisor , friend , help , important , and the link between the community and the Family Health Staff. Other professionals from CHAP, FHP and the Health Ministry share all of these representational contents, especially the concepts of friend and link , also shared by the community. A habitus towards the community health agents was identified, as a representation based on trust and friendship, which gives the professional a great importance towards the daily inconsistencies faced by the community

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

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 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

Repercussões da terapia comunitária no processo de trabalho na estratégia saúde da família: um estudo representacional

The Community Therapy (CT) is in a practice of therapeutic effect and may also be considered as a technology takes care of the therapeutic procedure group, whose purpose is to promote health, prevent illness, developed within primary care in mental health. In this study we sought to understand the social representations of health professionals who work with the Community Therapy, on use of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in the city of Joao Pessoa. This is a field research with a qualitative view Moscovician Theory of Social Representations, held with seven professionals of the FHS, therapists of Community Health District II. The empirical data were obtained by carrying out two thematic therapies in April 2009, which were wheeled CT. It was used as a technique for analyzing the collective subject discourse, and the data presented through graphs, charts, maps, pictures and graphics and arranged in three stages: Subjects of the study, characterizing the study participants; Social Representations of Therapist Community presenting and discussing the social representations of therapists community studied on CT, and Consequences of Community Therapy at the Family Health Strategy, discussing the meanings attributed by the study participants about changes in FHS. Meanings were attributed to the CT by the therapists studied originated from the speeches, songs, drawings and constructed, and that presented by schematic illustration show the relation between the representations: life, listening, faith / light, change, transformation. The web, symbol of CT, appeared on the images constructed by the representatives of the study and represents the formation of bonds that allows the construction of social support networks that strengthen relationships among community. In the study, proved by professionals who have the meanings about the changes in the work process from the introduction of CT, and shown that the change took place within a more welcoming attitude on the part of professionals, the relationship between Team members had no significant changes, explained by the low compliance of team members to the CT in relation to the user front, the bond was strengthened, and this involved strengthening the role of the therapist community. It is recognized, thereby transforming the character of CT in building links with users, requiring, however, that the team is viewed as offering therapeutic services, not the professional therapist. Therefore, the CT for being a new phenomenon in health services and community belonging, it fits like a novelty which affects the construction of a representation dispute. Still, can contribute to the reorganization of mental health care in line with the new model of mental health care advocated by the Psychiatric Reform.

O processo de trabalho e a composição técnica do trabalho do enfermeiro no cuidado à saúde da criança em unidades de saúde da familia

With the trajectory that the problems related to child health are taking in our society, particularly with regard to infant mortality, beyond the process of decentralization of health and the implementation of the Family Health Strategy in the cities, where it has increased considerably performance of nursing staff in Primary Health Care, they can be considered essential factors for reflections on the care of nurse dispenses the health of these children. In order to check how it is organized the working process of the nurse in caring for these children in USFs as well as the difficulties found in the dynamics of this work, this research aimed to analyze the work processes of nurses in care Child Health in USFs, with emphasis on technologies used in producing care. This is a research exploratory and descriptive with qualitative approach, based on the theoretical reference in about Work Process and Composition Technique of Work. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 11 nurses who, at the moment, perform their functions for more than 01 year at USF. The guiding questions were based at theoretical reference. To analyze the results, was used the referential of content analysis, and was refer to thematic analysis. In situations that were involved closed questions of the interview, was used the aid of SPSS 15.0 program for Windows. The results indicated that the process of nurse work in health care of children, focuses on the preventive character, whose focus of the actions are healthy children, following the routines and protocols established by the Ministry of Health with a view to maintaining health them. When analyzing the data through theoretical references of Composition Technique of Work found that the core technologies of daily tasks of the nurse are directed for the use of technology soft-hard and hard, and the reason established between the Dead Working and Alive Working, there is prevalence of the first against the second in the production of this care. These situations contribute to the explanation of the emergence problems related to adhesion of mothers / caregivers to monitoring the CD, due to character prescriptive and normalizer of actions. The results also suggested the presence of "vanishing lines" in the make of nurses, confirming the self-governance of health professionals in daily work. These "vanishing lines" express the own execution of the Work Live in action, guided by the use of soft technologies, however, was not characterized as a process of technology transition. So, to get a better resolution to the problems related to child health, the nurse has reorganize your work process by focusing on the execution of work live in action.

A violência no contexto de um serviço de urgência: análise do processo de cuidar na visão das vítimas e profissionais de saúde em Natal/RN

Exploratory descriptive study, with a quantitative approach and prospective data, performed in Pronto Socorro Clóvis Sarinho (PSCS), in Natal/RN, aiming to analyze care given by the nursing and medical staff to victims of violence attended to in an emergency hospital in Natal/RN; to identify care given by the nursing and medical staff as viewed by the victims; to compare data observed during the process of care with the victim s view on the care given by the nursing and medical staff; to identify the existing knowledge on violence and the process of caring for victims and its relation with prejudice; to identify obstacles and perspectives for prevention during the process of caring for victims in the emergency services. The population consisted of 97 physicians, 16 nurses, 75 nursing technicians and assistants and 365 victims of violence, with data collected from April to May 2009. Out of 188 professionals, 52.1% are female; 32% were aged 41 to 50; 99.5% had given care to a victim of violence; 90.4% reported to have given care to patients under custody; among these, 17.3% felt prejudice; 55.3% stated they don t provide different care for assaulted victims and assailants, however 44.7% stated they do; 86.7% feel their workplace is unsafe; 61.7% denied the existence of any obstacle and 38.3% reported the existence of obstacles; among these, 26.1% referred to inadequate facilities; 37.8% believe reinforcing security and professional training are the main solutions. Among the 365 researched violence victims, 82.2% were assaulted; male (69.6%); aged 18 to 24 (24.9%); hailing from the Greater Natal area (89.9%); on 19.7% the event happened on Saturday; during the night (48.8%); victim of physical assault (61.4%); produced by body force (27.7%); 24.4% were injured in the head and neck. 57% had used some drug, among which alcohol was predominant (75.5%). On 621 observations performed during the victim care process, when compared to the report of assaulted victims, there was a statistical difference, at 5% significance level, regarding reception, resistance from the professionals, questioning about the violent event, providing of guidance, interaction with the patient and the understanding of receiving proper care, and care resolution. In comparisons involving the observed and the assailant victims reports, there was a statistical difference regarding the resence of resistance from the professionals, performance of necessary procedures and the nteraction with the patient and the understanding of receiving proper care and 58.1% reported the nursing team was the one that provided the best care. We conclude that professionals had lready given care to assailant patients, acknowledge the importance of knowing how the vent took place and acquired this preparation during their practice. The most often referred bstacles that hinder assistance were: inadequate facilities, material deficit and lack of rofessional preparation. As solutions for these problems, they cited the reinforcement of ecurity and professional training