Health professionals' perceptions of planned home birth care within the Brazilian health system.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in its opinion of the Committee on Midwifery Practice, points out that planned home birth is a woman's and family's right to experience, but also to choose and be informed about, their baby's place of birth. The aim of this study was to understand obstetric nurses' perceptions of planned home childbirth care within the framework of the Brazilian obstetric model. METHOD: A qualitative study, with Snowball Sampling recruitment, totaling 20 obstetric nurses through semi-structured interviews between September 2022 and January 2023, remotely, using the Google Meet application and the recording feature. After the data had been collected, the material was transcribed in full and subjected to content analysis in the thematic modality with the support of ATLAS.ti 8.0 software. RESULTS: Obstetric care at home emerged as a counterpoint to hospital care and the biomedical model, providing care at home based on scientific evidence and humanization, bringing qualified information as a facilitator of access and financial costs as an obstacle to effective home birth. CONCLUSION: Understanding obstetric nurses' perceptions of planned home birth care in the context of the Brazilian obstetric model shows the need for progress as a public policy and for strategies to ensure quality and regulation.

Sociodemographic Profile, Health Conditions, and Burden of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional, Exploratory, Noninterventional, Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Demographic changes in the world population have resulted in an increasingly aging society, with a progressive increase in the number of people in situations of dependence, who require assistance from family members to meet their basic needs. Caring for older adults involves performing diverse activities, resulting in reduced free time and tiredness, and fulfilling the demands and expectations related to personal, family, physical, and social life, consequently compromising the quality of life of the caregiver. In this context, the informal caregiver of hospitalized older adults emerges as the focus of attention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic profile, health conditions, and burden of informal caregivers of older adults admitted to a university hospital in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study that was conducted with 25 informal caregivers of hospitalized older adults in a university hospital in Brazil between August and September 2022. Three instruments were applied: Caregiver Burden Inventory, sociodemographic questionnaire, and health conditions questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 28.0. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential analyses were performed using 2-sided Student t test with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Of the 25 interviewees, 18 (72%) were females, 17 (46%) were married or in a stable union, 14 (56%) completed secondary education, and 11 (44%) lived with the older adults who needed care. The average age of the participants was 44 (SD 12.8) years. Regarding their health conditions, most caregivers self-reported it as good (12/25, 48%). They provided care to their father or mother older than 70 years (14/25, 56%). The Caregiver Burden Inventory analysis showed that the caregivers were the most negatively impacted in the domains of personal life overload (mean 10.8, SD 3.46; P=.047) and physical overload (mean 10.6, SD 2.32; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, there has been an increase in the burden on informal caregivers of hospitalized older adults in Brazil, thereby impacting their personal and physical lives. The findings of our study show that health care professionals should be trained to promote health guidelines and actions to improve the personal and physical lives of the caregiver population in Brazil.

Demographic, Clinical, and Quality of Life Profiles of Older People With Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus, one of the main diseases that affects the Brazilian population older than 60 years, is defined as a divergent group of metabolic disorders that present a high level of glycemia (hyperglycemia), causing damage to various organs and systems of the body, including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nervous system. It is believed that in 2025, in Brazil alone, there will be more than 18.5 million individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Therefore, it is important to know the individuals' quality of life in the context of life and culture. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the demographic, clinical, and quality of life profiles of older adults with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in a university hospital complex in the northern Amazon region. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, exploratory, noninterventional, descriptive, and analytical study using a nonrandom sample of 54 older people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at the geriatrics outpatient clinic of the medium and high complexity university hospital in the western Brazilian Amazon between 2020 and 2022. We used 3 instruments, namely, a sociodemographic questionnaire, a clinical conditions questionnaire, and Diabetes-39. Qualitative data were described using absolute and relative frequencies. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test was applied, and the z test was used for inferential analysis. SPSS software (version 27) was used for data analysis, and the significance level was 5%. RESULTS: Of the 54 interviewees, the majority were women, married, retired, and had a good quality of life. Of these, 48.1% (n=26) were infected by COVID-19, 61.5% (n=16) of whom progressed to long COVID, presenting with fatigue or muscle weakness. As for the quality of life, the "social overload" (P<.001) and "sexual functioning" (P<.001) dimensions had with low scores compared to the "energy and mobility" (P=.005), "diabetes control" (P<.001), and "anxiety and worry" (P<.001) dimensions. Quality of life was negatively impacted in the "anxiety and worry" dimension. Among those affected by COVID-19, most progressed to long COVID; however, there was a lack of data on this theme in the population of older people with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of interviewees progressed to long COVID, with their quality of life negatively impacted in the "anxiety and worry" dimension, reflecting that health actions prioritizing mental health should be implemented by health professionals.

[Perceptions of people with diabetes about the disease: nursing contributions]. / Percepções de portadores de diabetes sobre a doença: contribuições da Enfermagem.

This study aimed to identify the perceptions of patients concerning diabetes. This is a descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach, which was conducted with 32 subjects, in a hospital in the city of Belem-PA, Brazil. The thematic content analysis was used, from which four categories emerged: Diabetes control: nursing in the self-monitoring of blood glucose; The diabetic individual and nursing: an interaction with self-care; Nursing consultations provided to diabetic individuals: an intervention in the health-disease continuum; Diabetes and its complications: fear of loosing functioning. It was observed that patients start self-care driven by the fear of losing their health, that is, fear forces the patient to practice self-care. Nurses are directly linked to diabetes control as they start providing care and guidance for patients who self-monitor their disease.

[Adolescents' attitudes and behaviors regarding the consumption of alcohol]. / Atitudes e comportamentos de adolescentes em relação à ingestão de bebidas alcoólicas.

The objective of this descriptive qualitative study was to analyze the attitudes of adolescents before drinking alcohol. Interviews were conducted with 40 adolescents from a support institution in the state of Pará. Thematic content analysis resulted in the category: attitudes and behavior related to drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption is associated with fun, but it is also a way to avoid thinking about problems. The adolescents used other types of drugs at times, but the use of alcohol was unanimous. In conclusion, alcohol promotes socialization and enjoyment for adolescents, and it may lead to abuse and the contact with illicit drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and thinner.

[Social representations of women submitted to mastectomy and the implications for self-care]. / Representações sociais de mulheres mastectomizadas e suas implicações para o autocuidado.

The purposes of this research was to identify the social representations of women on breast mastectomy and to analyze the implications of these social representations to care for self-care. This is a qualitative study using the Theory of Social Representations as theoretical reference. For data collection it was employed two techniques: the free association of ideas and observation. For data analysis the thematic analysis was used. The research resulted in two thematic units: the breast and its representations of social change in the body and social representations of women mastectomy: implications for self care. In the study, showed that women objected care of the breasts through the realization of self-examination.

[That so-called papanicolaou: women's social representations about the screening test for cervical cancer]. / Esse tal Nicolau: representações sociais de mulheres sobre o exame preventivo do câncer cérvico-uterino.

This research aims to identify women's social representations of women regarding cervical cancer and describe the relationship of these social representations with preventive care. The study used a qualitative-exploratory approach, with the theory of social representations as the theoretical-conceptual support. Data collection was performed using two techniques: the free association of words and the semi-directed interview with open questions. The thematic analysis technique was used for data interpretation. The research resulted in two thematic units: cervical cancer: an early treatable wound and the screening test: taking because of fearing. It was observed that women have great fear of having cervical cancer and, therefore, recognize the importance of the screening test and see it as an act of self-care towards their health.

[My dependent body: social representations of diabetic patients]. / Meu corpo dependente: representações sociais de pacientes diabéticos.

This study aims at identifying social representations of diabetic clients on your body after the amputation, and analyze the relationship of these representations to the care of themselves. The research was a qualitative, exploratory, with the use of the social representations theory and case study method. The scenario was a hospital in the city of Belém, Pará, 20 subjects participated. The data collection techniques were: a free association of words and watch free. After examining three categories emerged: the healthy body - term health of living well, the body work - the perfection and beauty in daily life, The body amputated - the limitation caused by amputation; and the amputated body and its relation to the care of themselves. It is clear concern to recover the lost welfare.

[Abandonment of tuberculosis treatment among patients co-infected with TB/HIV]. / Abandono do tratamento de tuberculose em co-infectados TB/HIV.

This study aimed at analyzing the reasons that patients co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV leave the treatment of tuberculosis and to know the conduct of the health team toward that abandonment. The study, using a qualitative approach, performed semi-structured interviews on 45 professionals working at a referral health center in Pará state. Two units emerged based on the thematic analysis: patient-associated factors that make TB treatment adherence difficult; and service-associated factors that contribute to treatment abandonment. It was found that, in terms of the patients, that their low socioeconomic condition was the most common factor that led to abandonment. Other factors that led to this outcome included the adverse drug effects, the use of illegal drugs, and poor personal motivation. Regarding the service, issues related to the physical structure, working process organization and accessibility were also relevant to their non-adherence. Results show there is a need to change the practices performed at the health care services.

[Citizen constitution and social representations: reflecting about health care models]. / Constituição cidadã e representações sociais: uma reflexão sobre modelos de assistência à saúde.

This article presents a reflection on the meaning of the terms citizenship and health, addressing the Theory of Social Representations as a strategy for implementing and evaluating health care models in Brazil. First, a brief history about the concept of citizenship is presented; then the article addresses the principles of freedom and equality according to Kant; the third section of the article shows that health is as a right of the citizen and a duty of the state. Finally, the Theory of Social Representations is emphasized as a strategy to evaluate and implement the health services provided to citizens by the current health care models in Brazil.

[Care, self-care and caring for yourself: a paradigmatic understanding thought for nursing care]. / Cuidado, autocuidado e cuidado de si: uma compreensão paradigmática para o cuidado de enfermagem.

This article presents a reflection about care, self-care and caring for oneself and establishes these issues' relations with the paradigms of totality and simultaneity. On the first part of the text, care and its general aspects are contextualized; the second part discusses about care in Martin Heidegger's philosophical perspective; the third part explores self-care on Dorothea Orem's conception; the fourth part considers Michel Foucault's care of oneself. And finally, the fifth part aims to establish the relationship between the concepts of self-care and care of oneself, and the totality and simultaneity paradigms. Self-care and care of oneself are connected to the objectivism of the totality, and to the subjectivism of the simultaneity. These subjects lead nursing to comprehend such paradigmatic inheritance and its implications on the nursing care.