Caring to Nurses in a Hospital Setting: Meanings Unveiled by Photography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Care represents a human need and as a fundamental component of the social practice of nursing it should be reified in interpersonal relationships and in patients' biopsychosociocultural needs, thus requiring thinking on a regular basis. This study aims to analyze the senses and meanings of the caring process experienced by nurses in a hospital setting. METHODS: Qualitative research oriented by Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical framework. The data were collected through photography and by semi-structured interviews with 16 nurses from a University Hospital of Northeastern Brazil. After a narrative analysis, four representative themes were perceived. RESULTS: The nurses' perception of caring was related to building relationships based upon complicity, solidarity, care, love, and technico-scientific competence but also upon the work overload and working conditions and difficulty to deal with human emotions and feelings of suffering, which are exposed and perceived in the social interacting process. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The senses and meanings of caring converge into a rupture of the nurses' regular and crystallized actions. That assumes a critical and reflexive review of ways of interacting with the patient, family, and environment. It is necessary that nurses choose communicative strategies, such as photography, that can unfold feelings and emotions which are essential requirements in the process and in the evaluation of care in a hospitalization setting.

Perfil Clínico-Epidemiológico de Pacientes Assistidos em Clínica de Hipertensão / Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Patients Serviced in the Hypertension Clinic

A Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica - HAS é uma doença crônica, que constitui importante fator de risco para o desenvolvimento de problemas cardiovasculares e cerca de 7,5 milhões de mortes no mundo são causadas por ela. Objetivos: o estudo tem como objetivo caracterizar o perfil clínico e epidemiológico de pacientes com Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica atendidos em um Hospital Universitário de Pernambuco-PE. Material e Métodos: estudo transversal descritivo, realizado junto a 66 pacientes, no período de setembro a novembro de 2013. Foram incluídos pacientes com diagnóstico de HAS, maiores de 18 anos e se utilizou um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada. Foram respeitados os princípios éticos. Resultados: o perfil sociedemográfico dos pacientes evidenciou predominância de mulheres, indivíduos idosos, com baixa escolaridade e renda. Quanto ao perfil clínico e epidemiológico se observou alteração da pressão arterial, na maioria dos pacientes, acompanhados, e predominância da obesidade/sobrepeso. Verificou-se associação estatística entre as variáveis: tabagismo e os valores de Pressão Arterial Diastólica (P = 0,001). Conclusão: os dados subsidiam o reconhecimento do perfil dos usuários, reforçando a importância de acompanhamento no setor primário, primando pela prevenção de agravos e emponderamento do paciente neste contexto. (AU).

Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH) is a chronic disease that is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease and about 7.5 million deaths worldwide are caused by it. Objectives: The study aims to characterize the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with Systemic Arterial Hypertension serviced in a University Hospital in Pernambuco-PE. Material and Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study, performed with 66 patients in the period from September to November of 2013. The patients with SAH over 18 years old were included and used a semi-structured interview script. Ethical principles were respected. Results: The patients' sociodemographic profile showed a predominance of women, elderly, with low education and income. The clinical and epidemiological profile demonstrated changes in blood pressure in most patients followed, as well as prevalence of obesity/overweight. There was a statistical association between smoking and variable values of diastolic blood pressure (P = 0,001). Conclusion: The research data subsidize the users' profile, reinforcing the importance of monitoring the primary sector, striving for disease prevention and patient empowerment in this context. (AU).