FACSIMILE
Presentation
The public health nurse and the mental hygiene
Lúcia Helena Silva Corrêa Lourenço, Fernando Ramos Porto, Tânia Cristina Franco Santos
The present article written by Malta Santos, sanitarian doctor, in 1951, registers that the preventives aspects of the mental hygiene is part of the interests of public health, in the same way that studies the individual conditions and the environment in which they live. Thus, "the nurse of public health finds itself in better position to help the individual and the family in any other professional." He quarrels if this nurse could identify the strategic position that she occupy, if her formation make her capable to "worth itself" of this place, and if her activities includes or make possible this work. In case of all these possibilities could be attendant, it would still raise that the resources it has to face the problem of to include the mental hygiene in the public health program. However, even that this service would not be well organized, the strategic position that the nurse of public health occupy, properly counting with her ability, "it worth better than any other isolated resource". He detaches, quoting Clarke, that the "nursing service of public health probably has better and more universal penetration in the homes than any other branch of organized social service". However, detaches that "there is no enthusiasm from the personal of public health for this specialty". For the author these could not need has "the direct responsibility of the development of the program of mental hygiene, but it must be familiarized with the different diagnosis and the methods of to take care ". He adds that, the nursing schools must dedicate more time in to prepare the students for to handle with personalities, because this reflects in the quality of the nursing work. Few hours of learning should be designated to the mental hygiene, as "autonomous subject or at least individualized from the learning". However, this should be result of a learning reformation. From there, it suggests some theoretical contents and the inclusion of "practice classes". For the author, the mental hygiene should be an area of attention of Public Health, because permeates several fields of their activities.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
30 Nov 2009 -
Date of issue
Dec 2007
