Avaliação em um centro de informação e assistência toxicológica localizado na cidade de Fortaleza, Ceará

Abstract

The high number of accidents involving venomous animals and exogenous intoxication increasingly requires that specialized services in the care and control of these toxicological events are qualified to carry out their actions. It is believed that evaluation is an instrument capable of revealing the real conditions of these services, providing subsidies to recognize their weaknesses and improve them. The present study aimed to evaluate the service of a Toxicological Information and Assistance Center, located in a tertiary hospital in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, considering the elements that interfere in the performance of its workers, such as structural, human and organizational aspects. It is an evaluative research, with a qualitative approach, that used the logical model. Data collection occurred between July 2014 and October 2015, through non-participant observation, documentary analysis, questionnaire and interview with the professionals of the service. Data analysis was performed through the logistic model and the content analysis was used for the interviews. It was noted that the physical area of ​​the Center is unsatisfactory to accommodate human and material resources. There is no space available for direct customer service, interfering with the quality of the service. It was evident that, in general, the Center is involved in supporting patients exposed to toxic and / or intoxicated agents attended at the hospital, however, sometimes this involvement does not occur due to lack of communication between their staff and others at the hospital. This is exacerbated by the lack of a standardized and shared care protocol with all the professionals involved in patient care. It was verified that the workers of this service use two different Information Systems to generate epidemiological information, but do not use it to plan their actions. Considering the reality found, it was concluded that the reorganization of the work process deserves special attention and may contribute to higher productivity of its workers, since many of the problems found resulted from the lack of planning of the organizational processes. In addition, the communication between the Center staff and the hospital staff should be strengthened, aiming at the integral and adequate care of the patient. It is also essential to work the workers' understanding of the use of epidemiological information in the management and scheduling of their activities.