Necessidades educacionais percebidas por profissionais de nível superior que atuam na estratégia saúde da família

Abstract

Since the creation of the Brazilian Public Health Care System (SUS) and the Family Health Strategy (ESF), many profound changes have taken place in Health practices. The ESF imposed new management responsibilities and a demand for more qualified and committed professionals. Thus is the dilemma of overcoming the quantitative expansion phase of ESF and now the consolidation of the quality of action taken and its respective integration with the rest of the SUS health care network. The literature has underscored, and this study has proven, that there exists a true lack of alignment between Health graduation programs and SUS´ need for general practitioners competent enough to work within the Primary Health Care context. The focus of analysis of this paper is based on an educational needs assessment perceived by the professionals who work within the Family Health teams. A study which is primarily a qualitative approach stemming from statements gathered from Health Care professionals, from Focus Groups and individual interviews, with a scope of analysis based on the method of Content Analysis, Categorical and Thematic (Bardin, 1979). The population selected for the study is comprised of higher education civil servants who work in the PSF of the municipality of Fortaleza, State of Ceará. Many different means of expression were identified from the professionals heard in the study, which reflect the needs perceived in terms of desires, interests, social and cognitive needs perceived or imposed on these health care professionals. The life experience, training of the individual and professional, generate a constant movement of both action and reflection, which are indispensable in terms of the professional choices which are made, “Life Long Learning”, how they relate to others, world vision and the Health-disease process. The results of the analysis express the need for competencies which are constructed during practice instead of through formal educational processes (meaningful learning) in order to work in the ESF context. The professionals have shown that, for the most part, they have knowledge about thematic content which is normatively defined, however, they manifest difficulties related to attitudes and skills, thereby identifying the need for “Life Long Learning”. Therefore, Technologies need to be developed in order to support Health Education. This technology should be based on the needs perceived by the professionals, managers and users of SUS.