Educação permanente: assistência dos enfermeiros da Atenção Primária à Saúde aos idosos com sintomas depressivos

Abstract

Health information is one of the main tools in Primary Health Care (PHC), and is essential to contribute to the inclusion of actions in both the planning and execution of mental health care for the elderly. Therefore, the study becomes relevant, aiming to promote an improvement in the knowledge of applicable strategies, serving as future interventions and methodologies to be worked on by health professionals, specifically nurses, in the care of elderly people with depressive symptoms. This research aims to develop and evaluate the effect of continuing education in the care provided by PHC nurses to elderly people with depressive symptoms. This is a study with a qualitative and quantitative approach, which uses action research as a methodological strategy, which is organized in four stages: exploratory phase; indepth research phase; action phase; and evaluation phase. The study was developed in a city in the interior of Minas Gerais, with nurses working in PHC. Data collection for the diagnostic and evaluation stage of the action was carried out at the participants' workplace. Quantitative information was entered into Excel and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0; qualitative information was analyzed using the content analysis framework. Four 2-hour face-toface meetings were held for the training. The lectures were held at the city's Municipal Health Department and were conducted through a dialogue-based class using PowerPoint. During the training, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, feelings, and suggestions regarding the topics covered. Two discursive questions were applied immediately after the training. After 30 and 120 days, the Training Impact on the Job and Transfer Support Scales were applied, along with a questionnaire with two discursive questions, to assess the effects of the training quantitatively and qualitatively. Regarding the identification of the participants, it is worth noting that the average age was 42.11 (±9.46) years; all participants were female. The correlation between the instruments at 30 days indicated that the results of the Training Impact scale and the Psychosocial Support section correlated positively and moderately (r=0.419; p=0.03), as well as in the 120-day analysis (r=0.400; p=0.05). Considering the results between 30 and 120 days, it is possible to observe that there was a minimal drop in the averages of the Training Impact instrument, from 3.74 points to 3.68, and in the Psychosocial Support section from 2.97 to 2.94, however, the Material Support section obtained an increase from 2.67 to 2.72, differences that were not significant. The results of this study indicate that the proposed educational activity was successful in the participants' perception, since the results demonstrated a moderate impact of the activity on professional practices, in addition to being possible to observe in the participants' statements numerous practical changes made by them after the end of the training.