Preparo de trabalhadores em saúde para a atuação em contexto de emergência sanitária no Brasil: uma análise dos planos de contingência

Abstract

The study deals with the preparation of health workers in Brazil to face COVID-19 through health education provided for in state contingency plans. In 2020, the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 resulted in one of the most significant crises in the health system, causing substantial impacts on the daily lives of individuals, collectivities, and societies. The present study aimed to: analyze the state contingency plans to cope with the COVID-19, based on health education provided for the preparation of SUS workers. This is a study with a qualitative, descriptive and documentary approach. The documents in the public domain – the Contingency Plans of the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District – available in full in the official digital media – were analyzed. Simple statistics were used to treat the data, based on the use of charts and tables to organize the findings, and the construction of the emerging categories occurred through thematic analysis based on the following themes: (1) Health education during the COVID-19 pandemic: what do contingency plans say?; (2) Availability and guidelines for the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE); and (3) Use of digital information and communication technologies by health workers for in-service training and coping with the health crisis. The analysis of the Contingency Plans revealed a predominant trend in the valorization of Continuing Education or self- instructional training mediated by information and communication technologies as essential for professional improvement. On the other hand, there were no initiatives aimed at Continuing Education in Health, a national strategy and policy aimed at the qualification and management of in-service workers. In addition, the lack of comprehensive Contingency Plans regarding inventory and guidance regarding Personal Protective Equipment is worrying. Although little explored in most plans, telehealth care represents an important strategy in the face of health emergencies. The limitations of the study are based on the impossibility of verifying how the implementation of health education actions occurred in practice, opening up a field of possibilities for other empirical studies.