Homeless children: the lives of a group of Brazilian street children.

AIM: To evaluate the life trajectories of a group of school-age street children frequenting two São Paulo city public shelters. BACKGROUND: A large proportion of the Brazilian child population suffers extreme disadvantage, although the Brazilian government gave the issue 'absolute priority' in 1990. Maternal and Under 5 mortality rates remain unacceptably high. In the metropolitan region of São Paulo an estimated 200 000 minors do not live with their mothers. Brazilian street children live lives of extreme personal and social risk. STUDY METHOD: The data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews, with 14 school age (7-12 years) participants frequenting two city public refuges, with their legal guardians' consent. Data analysis was based on Social Representation Theory and used content analysis. FINDINGS: The children's most meaningful experiences were grouped into the thematic categories of family, the street, friends, drugs, the police, the shelters and the future. Synthesis of these categories showed the lives of these children to be permeated by violence, resulting in experiences restricting their full development. CONCLUSION: The solution to their problems depends on pressure being put on the State by the civilian community in order to establish social and health policies that conform to the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA). We consider that assisting street children involves attitudes that go beyond professional performance and demands acts of citizenship. RECOMMENDATIONS: The development of an ethical-political attitude by professionals to the problems of homeless street children is essential, and educational curricula should be appropriately constituted. Political projects to develop health and welfare policies and education should be directed to these children and their relatives, and include participation by health professionals to provide the necessary preventive and curative services.

[Teaching staff, student, and performance evaluation in nursing administration at nursing schools in Brazil]. / Avaliação de desempenho docente, discente e de resultados na disciplina administração em enfermagem nas escolas de enfermagem no Brasil.

The objective of this study was to analyze the theoretical references related to the performance evaluation process, establishing their correlation to different pedagogical lines. These references constitute the foundation for the analysis of data being collected and studied. This study is part of a broader project, currently in progress, whose objective is to determine how to evaluate teachers, students and achievement in courses dealing with content related to Nursing Administration at the graduate and undergraduate levels in Brazil. We hope to be contributing to a clearer and better understanding of this concrete reality, and of the performance evaluation process in light of the changes in the teaching of such courses.

[Social representations by a nursing team about undernourished children and their families]. / Representações sociais da equipe de enfermagem sobre a criança desnutrida e sua família.

The present study derived from our interest in nursing practice with the undernourished children and their families. Our objectives were: to understand the social representations of the nursing team about undernourished children and their families and to analyze how these representations can interfere in the process of taking care. Based on qualitative research principles, authors adopted the social representations theoretical method. For data collection and analysis, authors used the projective techniques and speech subject analysis, respectively. Results showed an innocent conception by nursing professionals, that reproduces in the practical field a strong moral code and hygienic habits to the family and it does not propitiate the formation of a critical conscience about their citizenship rights.

[Focus groups as a methodological approach to nursing research]. / Grupos focais como estratégia metodológica em pesquisas na enfermagem.

The authors describe in this article the methodologic approach of focus groups based on the experience they have had. They define the method's guidelines, taking a look at the main points of meeting organization, the role of team coordination and the moments of work group.

[Counter-reference and reference system organization in the health system context: perception of nurses]. / Organização do sistema de referência e contra-referência no contexto do sistema único de saúde: a percepção de enfermeiros.

This study aimed to understand and to care counter-reference and reference system upon the context of the Health System in Botucatu-SP, Brazil from the nurses who experience this practice. We adopted a qualitative research, situated fenomena model, methodologically derived from phenomenology. In the first part of this study there is a brief presentation record about the Health System in Brazil contextualizing as it follows counter-reference and reference system. Results were obtained through ideographic analysis and nomothetic analysis from the testimony of 13 nurses interviewed, bringing 13 themes, reduced into 3 categories: counter-reference and reference system operation, guiding possibilities and local system structural factors. This study showed that this purpose is still an horizont that depend's the isolately professional liability.

[Suffering and pleasure experienced by nurses working at an intensive care unit of a university hospital]. / Sofrimento e prazer no trabalho vivenciado pelas enfermeiras que trabalham em unidades de terapia intensiva em um hospital escola.

The purpose of this study is to grasp and to understand the nurses' social representations concerning their work in intensive care unit and the ways of expressing feelings of suffering and pleasure. Six nurses of the intensive care unit of medical, surgical and pediatric clinics were interviewed. The analysis of the social representations made possible the apprehension of the symbolic dimension of the work in the psycho-social (individual), social-dynamic (group) and institutional perspective. We verified that the work in intensive care unit brings pleasure to nurses despite of intense emotional constraint. This qualitative study allowed na in-depth reflection on the issue and made evident the need to deepen research. However, other investigations have to be carried out to deepen the subject on the subjective and symbolic dimension to subsidize the administration of human resources in nursing.

[The planning process in nursing in a teaching hospital]. / Processo de planejamento na prática da enfermagem em um hospital de ensino.

The aim of this research was to identify the theoretical methodological model that are basing the development of the management function in planning, according the nursing practices, in the School Hospital of the University of São Paulo. Based on the results the nurses emphasized the importance of introducing the reference of planning strategies in the practice in order to make changes.

[Institutional care for patients with mental retardation: forgotten dimensions]. / Assistência institucionalizada a portadores de deficiência mental: dimensões esquecidas.

This study was carried out in en institution which assists mentally impaired individuals, and are kept as inters. The institution, herein denominated CASA GRANDE, houses approximately 900 interns. The direct care of the is providad by, on average, 400 nursing assistants. The purpose of this study was to gain knowlwdge of, and comprehend, to work of the nursing assistants in this context, through the representations they have regarding their daily chores. The analysis of these representations provided the compreension of the symbolic dimension of the work, having demonstrated its movements in the psyco-social (individual), social-dynamic (group), institutional (institution) and societal (community) levels.

[An experience of teaching the discipline of administration applied to nursing]. / Uma experiência de ensino na disciplina administração aplicada à enfermagem.

In this study, the teachers of the Administration's discipline applied in Nursing, discourse on the philosophy on which they were based for achieving professional level. They point at the importance of the following: to reflect on the nature of the social and health transformation process, taking into account the part that the professional must have, technical-scientific competence and a critical involvement with the reality. The educational process is seen as the moment in which the reflexion of reality is realized together with the involvement in finding proposals for change. A description of the contents and the objectives of the discipline is made, related with the competence skills to be developed by the student during this course and the strategies that are being used.