Luciana Cordeiro

Processo de trabalho na Atenção Primária em Saúde: pesquisa-ação com Agentes Comunitários de Saúde

The aim of this article was to describe and analyze the work of community health workers (CHW). The main objective of study was to analyze the development process of primary health care practices related to drug consumption. The study is based on the Marxist theoretical orientation and the action research methodology, which resulted in the performance of 15 emancipatory workshops. The category work process spawned the content analysis. It exposed the social abandonment of the environment in which the CHWs work is performed. The latter had an essential impact on the identification of the causes of drug-related problems. These findings made it possible to criticize the reiterative, stressful actions that are being undertaken there. Such an act resulted in raising of the awareness and creating the means for political action. The CHWs motivated themselves to recognize the object of the work process in primary health care, which they found to be the disease or addiction in the case of drug users. They have criticized this categorization as well as discussed the social division of work and the work itself whilst recognizing themselves as mere instruments in the work process. The latter has inspired the CHW to become subjects, or co-producers of transformations of social needs.

Avaliação de processo educativo sobre consumo prejudicial de drogas com agentes comunitários de saúde

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as transformacoes relativas as concepcoes e propostas de praticas dos agentes comunitarios de saude (ACS), que participaram de processo educativo acerca das acoes na atencao basica em saude, voltadas a pessoas que consomem drogas de forma prejudicial. O processo educativo foi participativo e partiu de consideracoes teoricas da Saude Coletiva, campo que concebe o consumo de drogas como fenomeno de natureza social e propoe politicas e praticas intersetoriais para lidar com essa questao. A coleta de dados adotou formulario pre-pos-teste com questoes abertas, que foram respondidas por 16 ACS. Os dados foram analisados com vistas a verificar a homogeneidade/heterogeneidade dos achados em relacao as categorias de analise teoricas que fundamentaram o processo educativo. Os resultados foram divididos em: concepcoes sobre consumidores de drogas e determinantes do uso; e politicas e praticas sociais para o cuidado em saude envolvendo o uso de drogas. Por meio da avaliacao, constatou-se que o processo educativo expos a contradicao entre os discursos moralistas predominantes e a realidade social do territorio onde esses ACS atuam. Conclui-se que houve transformacao dos ACS em relacao as suas concepcoes sobre o consumidor de drogas e sobre os problemas advindos do consumo de drogas. Os ACS identificaram suas limitacoes praticas e a responsabilidade do Estado relativa as politicas publicas voltadas ao consumo de drogas. A avaliacao do processo educativo por meio de formulario pre-pos-teste mostrou-se util para compor a analise da transformacao do discurso dos participantes.

Unscrambling method and methodology in action research traditions: theoretical conceptualization of praxis and emancipation

Action research is a participatory approach that is used in an array of contexts. From its first proposition it comprises four core principles: participation and collaboration; a constant spiral cycle of self-reflection; knowledge generation; and practice transformation. Praxis and emancipation are two important analytical categories in AR, but are conceptualized differently in the two existing AR traditions. These conceptualizations reveal different AR aims, which lead to either the use of AR as a method (Northern tradition) or as a methodology (Southern tradition). Much depends on the researchers’ interest and worldview. Our objective in this paper is to compare how emancipation and praxis are theorized in both traditions. This discussion intends to add insight into the methodological understanding and utilization of AR.