[Risk and vulnerability in the practice of professional healthcare]. / Risco e vulnerabilidade nas práticas dos profissionais de saúde.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the risks and vulnerability found in professional healthcare and the safe practices adopted based on academic research in the field of healthcare and nursing, by means of an integrative review. The articles were found in the LILACS and SCIELO databases,from the years 2005-2010, in a search for the descriptors vulnerability, risk, and occupational and personal health risks, establishing a sample of 21 articles. In basic healthcare, risks and vulnerabilities are related to the lack of resources needed for work, physical violence and emotional strain. In a hospital context, the problems are related to accidents with biological materials caused by improper use and failure to adopt protective measures, as well as excessive work and self-confidence. The importance of implementing public policies in worker health to improve working conditions and provide greater satisfaction and professional awareness is emphasized.

[Physical disability in the elderly and accessibility to primary health care: integrative literature review]. / Deficiência física em idosos e acessibilidade na atenção básica em saúde: revisão integrativa da literatura.

This is an integrative literature review of studies on physically disabled elder's access to primary health care, published between 1998 and 2008. The research was performed in: databases, virtual documents from the Health Ministry Library (Brazil), the catalogs of the Nursing Research and Study Center (CEPEN), the Brazilian Nursing Association (ABEn), and through e-mail consultation of experts. Sixty studies were selected and subjected to thematic analysis. The following categories emerged: The history of disability in Brazil, Accessibility and social inclusion, Disability and the elderly. Articles from different scenarios, subjects and methodologies show similar conditions experienced by people with disabilities when accessing health care systems. Scarcity of resources and and the indifference of the public administration were the most evident conditions.

[Institutionalized elderly: functional capacity and physical fitness]. / O idoso institucionalizado: avaliação da capacidade funcional e aptidão física.

This study analyzed the relationship between physical fitness and functional capacity in 78 residents of long-stay institutions for low-income elderly located in five regions of Brazil. The majority of the sample consisted of women, and mean age was 77.4 years (SD = 7.9). Physical fitness was assessed with the AAHPERD test, adjusted for institutionalized elderly. The Katz scale was used for functional capacity. The five components of physical fitness rated fair for flexibility, coordination, agility, and aerobic endurance and good for strength. The mean general physical fitness (GPF) index was fair. According to the findings, the greater the degree of dependency in institutionalized elderly, the lesser their strength and GPF level; meanwhile, better coordination and agility are associated with greater independence for performing activities of daily living. The results can contribute to appropriate physical exercise programs for maintenance and/or recovery of functionality.

[Urinary incontinence and aging: impact on daily basis and on the quality of life]. / Incontinência urinária e envelhecimento: impacto no cotidiano e na qualidade de vida.

Human aging is accompanied by worn out of the physical functions of body and mind as well as a decrease in physiological response to the environment. Consequently these change the quality of life for those going through the aging process, especially regarding independence and autonomy. Among these common aging changes, there is the urinary incontinence having multiple etiologies with great therapeutic complexity, which creates a huge impact on the life quality of these people. This article will focus on part of a research done for a master's dissertation from one of the authors, which sought to understand in what proportion urinary incontinence affects, not only their daily lives but also their quality of life.

[Dialectics for humanized care in ICU's: contradictions between professional nursing discourse and practice]. / Dialética do cuidado humanizado na UTI: contradições entre o discurso e a prática profissional do enfermeiro.

This study attempts to unveil contradictions in humanized nursing care in ICUs. It is a qualitative, dialectic-based study involving 7 nurses, 4 family members and one patient of the Adult ICU of the Hospital of the Federal Universityof Santa Catarina. Participatory observation and semi-structured interviews were applied to collect the data. Marxist and Gramscian ideas of contradiction were used as the theoretical-philosophical reference. This study demonstrates that humanized care is part of a complex network, in which care knowledge seems to give way to closer network ties, while care practicefollows an impersonalized strategy within the logic of partitioned and routine health care production. The dissociation between knowledge and practice also contemplates the difficulties in dealing with the burdens of suffering and institutional-professional limitations. The conclusion is that knowledge of this reality should be a renewed, yet age-old challenge for the nurse in the search for the constant construction/ reconstruction of Nursing in terms of practice, knowledge and work relations.

[Teaching apprenticeship in psychiatric nursing: an experience during the postgraduate period]. / Estágio de docência em enfermagem psiquiátrica: uma experiência durante a pós-graduação.

I present my experience related to an internship on teaching upon developing activities in the discipline of Psychiatric Nursing II, during the Nursing graduation at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in the first semester of 2004. It is a theoretical-practical subject, divided into two blocks. The internships take place in a psychiatric hospital and in the community through domicile visits. I have found out that the psychiatric hospital was the scenario of several significances. The students appreciated the domicile visits, even under a few difficulties. After a discussion based on the relevant literature, I came to the conclusion that this experience was beneficial to me for allowing the integration between graduation and postgraduation.