Comparative study of representations of professional autonomy produced by first and last-period undergraduate nursing students

Social representations of nursing students on the rights of health users

OBJECTIVE

To identify the social representations of undergraduate nursing students in the third and eighth term of the course on the rights of health users.

METHODS

Qualitative research using the framework of the structural approach to the Theory of Social Representations. A total of 92 students participated. The free evocation technique was used and data was processed in the EVOC software.

RESULTS

In the social representations of the third term students, words related to health policies were not observed, but there is an evaluation of the service in the institutions. Among the eighth-grade students, the concepts that support the policies of the Unified Health System are evident.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

There is a consolidation of the students' knowledge throughout the course, with a more elaborated knowledge about the users' right, supported by principles of the SUS. Undergraduate education is an important space for discussing the construction and exercise of citizenship, including the right to health.

Homeless people's social representations about self-care

OBJECTIVES

To capture and analyze the structure of homeless people's social representations about self-care.

METHODS

Research based on the theory of social representations, with 122 people in street situation. A semistructured questionnaire and free evocation technique were applied with the inducing words "caring for myself is". The evocations were processed by the software Evoc and Iramuteq, allowing to identify central and peripheral elements and the connection between them.

RESULTS

For the group studied, "feeding oneself, personal hygiene, protecting oneself and visiting the doctor" are actions and attitudes that represent caring for themselves. In the streets, "feeding oneself" is an essential action for living/surviving that underpins the others.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Despite behaviors based on the biomedical model, self-care was represented by extended actions to meet basic human needs. This study offers elements of reflection to rethink care practices developed by health professionals.

Management challenges for best practices of the Kangaroo Method in the Neonatal ICU

OBJECTIVE

To understand the conditions that influence the adherence and application of best practices by nurses in the context of the Nursing care management in the Kangaroo Mother Care in the Neonatal ICU.

METHOD

Study of qualitative approach, whose theoretical and methodological frameworks were Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory, respectively. We used the in-depth interview with 8 nurses from the Neonatal ICU of a public maternity hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

RESULTS

The conditions involved in adhering to the best practices of humanization in the Neonatal ICU are related mainly to human resources, interaction among professionals, work processes and leadership strategies; and care management.

CONCLUSION

Professional and institutional challenges have been identified that need to be addressed to improve adherence and implementation of the Kangaroo Mother Care best practices.