Usuários poliqueixosos: representações sociais construídas por médicos da Atenção Primária à Saúde

Abstract

The phenomenon of the vague and diffuse symptoms (VDS) relates to nonspecific pain without clear organic cause. It is important to take into account these symptoms for the context of the Primary Health Care (PHC), once they are very prevalent in PHC users in many countries. The research reported here aimed at understanding the social representations constructed by the PHC doctors about the vague and diffuse symptoms. We conducted semi structured interviews including a vignette case with five doctors of the Family Health Center (FHC). We analyzed the data through the thematic content analysis. The interviews revealed aspects of the representational field related to the VDS users that included ideas and images associated with other communication objects at the FHC: the boring patient, the sick person and the lower social class population. The doctors mentioned the idea and the image of a multi problematic patient who attended to the FHC without real need, as objectification elements. The analysis highlighted the hegemony of the traditional clinical practice, based on centered-doctors rather than in centered-patient interactions. It is suggested the revision of normative relations between health workers and the VDS users which must be transformed including the later as active managers of their treatment.