O trabalho do agente comunitário de saúde no município de Marília - SP

Abstract

O presente estudo objetiva descrever e analisar a situação de trabalho dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) de Marília/SP, em sua relação com a população e com os demais profissionais de saúde, mediante procedimento metodológico quanti-qualitativo. Na abordagem quantitativa, para a caracterização do perfil do ACS, os dados foram coletados por questionário e, na qualitativa, realizou-se entrevista semi-estruturada com 16 ACS. Para a análise dos dados da entrevista foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo e construidas oito categorias empiricas: a) o significado de ser ACS; b) a notivação de ser ACS; c) ações desenvolvidas; d) facilidades e e) dificuldades no trabalho com as familias;...

The present paper is aimed at describing and analyzing the labor situation of Community Health Agents (CHA) in Marília/SP and also their relation with the population and the other health professionals by means of a quantitative/qualitative methodological procedure. In order to characterize the CHA profile, for the quantitative approach, the data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interview was conducted with the 16 CHA for the qualitative approach. The content technique was used to analyze the interview data and eight empirical categories were constructed: a) the motivation to be CHA; b) the meaning of being CHA; c) developed actions; d) facilities and e) difficulties to work with the families; f) facilities and g) difficulties to work with the team; h) expectations. Out of 339 CHA, 303 answered the questionnaire. It was noticed that 59,4% of them act in Basic Health Unities and 39,3% in Family Health Unities; the majority is formed by young women (90,8% - mean age: 32,5 years) and 86,1% of them had finished the elementary school. The mean time of acting in the health unity, as CHA, was of 27 months and the time of neighborhood living is of 13,8 years. The prevailing professional education is in the health areas (16,2%) and in education (14,3%); 73 of them were studying and most of them in the nursing area. Most of them (90,1%) did not have previous acting as CHA neither had developed community work (78,8%). The main reason for choosing the CHA activity was the unemployment, although few of them were aware of their attributions. The CHA consider themselves as educators and mediators between the health unity and the community. They register overload of work due to the lack of c1arity about their roles to themselves, to the health team, and to the population in general. The CHA develop actions according to the abilities expected from them ... (Complete abstract, click eletronic address below)