Limit-situations in child health care practices: challenges to the empowerment of nurses.

Aldalice Aguiar De Souza,Janaina Medeiros De Souza,Ivonete Teresinha Schulter Buss Heidemann

doi:10.1590/s1980-220x2019019303652

Abstract

To analyze the limit-situations experienced by nurses in child health care practices, from the perspective of empowerment in health promotion. This is a qualitative approach Participatory Action Research, supported by Paulo Freire's Research Itinerary, developed through Culture Circles, consisting of three stages: thematic investigation, coding and decoding and critical unveiling. 13 Culture Circles were held with nurses from the Family Health Strategy of five Basic Health Units in the city of Manaus, Amazonas. A total of 16 nurses participated and 20 generating themes emerged from the Culture Circles, six of which were considered limit-situations by the participants: accumulation of activities; difficulty monitoring and following-up children; work focused on productivity; lack of training; limited human resources; difficulty in reception. The study contributed to strengthening nurses through reflective dialogues on the realities experienced, increasing awareness and enabling interventions to transform their practices in child health care.

Highlights

Child health care, especially in early childhood has been a priority in government agendas worldwide
The themes 3: Work focused on productivity, 4: Lack of training and 6: Difficulty in reception emerged from the discussion on the limits, difficulties and potentials found in the development of child health care practices and on the understanding of the concept of empowerment
When reflecting on the concept of health promotion described in the Ottawa Charter, the participants realized the importance of incorporating health promotion into their practices

Summary

Introduction

Especially in early childhood (the first six years of age) has been a priority in government agendas worldwide. The Legal Framework for Early Childhood (2016) established principles and guidelines to ensure the development of effective public policies for early childhood[3] In this perspective, with the objective of guiding actions and services in the child health care network, the National Policy for Comprehensive Child Health Care (PNAISC – Política Nacional de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Criança) was created in 2015, with its last implementation in 2018. The PNAISC contains principles, guidelines and strategic lines of action, with the objective of “promoting and protecting child health and breastfeeding, through comprehensive and integrated care from pregnancy to nine years of age, with special attention to early childhood and to the most vulnerable populations[4]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion