Representações Sociais de Enfermeiros da Atenção Primária à Saúde Sobre os Usuários de Substâncias Psicoativas

Abstract

Primary Health Care has a significant role in the comprehensive and humanized approach to alcohol and other drug users. other drugs. Through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective, PHC seeks to offer health promotion, preventive care and treatment for those who face challenges related to the use of psychoactive substances. Among the professionals in the team are nurses who, through a humanized approach and attentive listening, carry out preventive actions, appropriate treatment and ongoing monitoring. Given the importance of social representation of these professionals in PHC, this study aimed to nurses' social representations of alcohol and other drug users. users of alcohol and other drugs. This is a social research, based on a qualitative and exploratory approach. approach, which involved the construction of a manuscript, with a theoretical reference theoretical framework based on theTheory of Social Representations. Twenty nurses working in Primary Health Care in the municipality of Três Lagoas, located in the eastern region of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed in the light of the Theory of Social Representations, using the software IRaMuTeQ (Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires), version 0.7 alpha 2. The Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC) was used, from which the following categories emerged: (1) Antagonism in the perception of prejudice; (2) (Un)assistance to users of psychoactive substances; (3) Photography of users of psychoactive substances from the nurses' perspective. It was observed that alcohol and drug users continue to be socially stigmatized and that prejudice on the part of nurses is a pertinent and worrying issue that deserves attention in the health context. One of the factors contributing to stigma and prejudice is a lack of knowledge and understanding about the complex nature of drug addiction. Nurses may not be adequately qualified to deal with issues related to alcohol and other drug abuse and, therefore, their practices may be based on misconceptions. In view of the above, the nurses' Social Representations point to the need to strengthen training processes, with the aim of creating an inclusive environment, since nurses can play a fundamental role in reducing stigma and promoting more humane and effective care for users of alcohol and other drugs who are inserted in the territory of Primary Health Care teams.