ABSTRACT
Objective:
to understand the perception of Community Health Agents regarding their workloads and to perform care practices with this group related to workloads.
Method:
a qualitative study, based on the Convergent-Care Research, carried out in two primary health care units, with three Family Health Strategy teams, in a municipality in the South of Brazil. The participants were 14 Community Health Agents working in these scenarios. Data were produced through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and convergence groups. The data were analyzed, according to the discourse analysis of the collective subject.
Results:
community health agents coexist with intense physical burden (caused by physical exposure in the community, precarious structure in the unit and the risk of violence); cognitive burdens (evidenced by the need to gather information and technical knowledge to orientate the community and changes in the information systems); and mental burdens (resulting from the poor interpersonal relationships within the team, in the excessive workload and frustrations due to the incapabilities of the health system and lack of recognition). The care practice consisted in the mediation of a space for reflection/action/reflection in which the participants could identify strategies that could minimize the burdens.
Conclusion:
regarding to the care practice, participants performed a critical reflection, problematizing their work reality, engaging in the challenge of transforming reality through the construction of strategies in order to minimize the burdens they were exposed to.
DESCRIPTORS:
Nursing; Worker health; Community health agents; Work load; Work conditions; Qualitative research; Community-based participatory research