Percepções de profissionais sobre o agente comunitário de Saúde no cuidado ao idoso dependente

Christina César Praça Brasil; Raimunda Magalhães da Silva; Indara Cavalcante Bezerra; Luiza Jane Eyre de Souza  Vieira; Maria do Livramento Fortes Figueiredo; Fernanda Regina Vasconcelos Fernandes Castro; Francisca Francisete de Sousa Nunes  Queiroz; Maria Regina Teixeira Ferreira Capelo

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.1260

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Christina César Praça Brasil Universidade de Fortaleza https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7741-5349
Raimunda Magalhães da Silva Universidade de Fortaleza
Indara Cavalcante Bezerra Universidade Estadual do Ceará
Luiza Jane Eyre de Souza Vieira Universidade de Fortaleza https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5220-027X
Maria do Livramento Fortes Figueiredo Universidade Federal do Piauí
Fernanda Regina Vasconcelos Fernandes Castro Universidade de Fortaleza
Francisca Francisete de Sousa Nunes Queiroz Universidade de Fortaleza
Maria Regina Teixeira Ferreira Capelo Centro de Literatura e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias (Polo da Madeira) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0423-8676

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.1260

Keywords:

Community Health Worker, Family Health Strategy, Continuing Education, Health Personnel, Frail elderly

Abstract

The community health worker (CHW) is a link between professionals in the Family Health Strategy (FHS) and the community. This study aimed to analyze healthcare personnel’s and managers’ perceptions of the role of the CHW in caring for frail elderly. A qualitative study was conducted from a hermeneutic-dialectic perspective with 38 professionals caring for elderly people in municipalities in the five regions of Brazil. The results showed the CHW as a facilitator of the access of frail elderly to the health care network, gaps in Continuing Education and a shortage of these professionals to meet the demand in primary care. The respondents attached great importance to the work of the CHW and valued their participation in the Family Health Strategy, but they highlighted the lack of knowledge and difficulties in supplying the adequate amount in health care services and in the care for frail elderly and family members. It may be concluded that healthcare personnel and managers consider the CHW to be a great work force with essential performance in the care for frail elderly and their caregivers. The number of CHW is insufficient in relation to the FHS and they lack training to deal with the various types of dependence.