De profissional da saúde a acompanhante e paciente: do outro lado do cuidado

Abstract

In caring professions scope, the care should have a subjective and humane dimension, by surpassing the technical uniqueness. However, superficial, massed and depersonalized practices compromise its quality. When exposed to risk, the patient has exacerbated feelings of insecurity and uncertainty and it can be further exacerbated when those who are in the patient's position or family companion is the health professional. From these assertions, this study aims to understand how health professionals had the patient experiences or family companion in care relations resulting from the disease process. Descriptive exploratory research, with a qualitative approach. The participants were within the inclusion criteria of being health professionals and had experienced a hospitalization process due to some health problem by themselves or by family members. All participants were female: 8 nurses, 7 nursing techniques, 1 doctor and 1 physiotherapist. It totaled 17 participants and they were addressed by snowball methodological technique. According to this technique, initial participants (components of the social network researcher) indicated other participants who experienced a similar situation and so consecutively. The research did not develop in a specific location but at different locations defined by mutual agreement between researcher and researched. Data collection occurred between July 2014 and April 2015 through unstructured interview. Thematic Analysis and the theorical framework from Mishel´s Uncertainty Theory supported the analysis. The thematic coding unveiled 12 themes: Professional Experience markers in the disease process and hospitalization; Disqualifying care: producing insecurity, anguish and Uncertainty; Better not to know: knowledge producing fear, anguish and insecurity; Qualifying strategies for care relationships: support and security production tools; Appreciation of assistant professional before care practices recognition; Coping strategies to hospitalization of a familiar; Enjoying benefits attributed to the condition of health professional; The health professional chosen as companion : dealing with family pressure; Professional roles and functions in the process of sickness and hospitalization of a familiar; Adversities of professional caregivers: stigmatization and commitment of care; Meanings and feelings inherent to the accompanying being; On the other side of caution: experience as a patient / companion influencing professional practice. The results show that the professional knowledge provides exacerbation of fears and uncertainties while that drives actions and decisions taken, showing a behavioral dichotomy. Disinformation, unclear diagnostics and therapies as well as compromised care relationships endanger care´s quality, exacerbating uncertainty; on the other hand, attention, dialogue and professional involvement to minimize it. Coping postures are adopted so that the person mobilizes strategies to face and to adapt what appears to him/her. Thus, experiencing feelings and own needs of the moment greatly affected the lives of health professionals, providing opportunities for reflection, reassessment and readjustments of their labor behavior.