Contribuições do curso cuidado em saúde mental na atenção primária no contexto da pandemia do covid19, na atuação dos profissionais de saúde

Abstract

The research highlights the importance of mental health care in primary health care, emphasizing the integration between education and health services through Continuous Education of professionals. The motivation for this research arose from the researcher's professional experience, working for over a decade in mental health management in the state of Alagoas, highlighting the qualification of health professionals at the frontline of services as a priority recognized by state health managers. As the creator, content provider, and tutor of the Mental Health Care in Primary Care course in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the Distance Education mode, the guiding question of this research arises: What are the contributions of the Mental Health Care in Primary Care course in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic to the performance of health professionals? The course, held between October and December 2021, was made available on the educ@sesau platform of the State Health Secretariat (SESAU). Offered for free, it had a total duration of 88 hours, divided into 08 modules, and activities were carried out asynchronously and synchronously. Ten health professionals from different areas, originating from municipalities in Alagoas, who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate by signing the Informed Consent Form (ICF), took part in the research. This research is a descriptive Case Study, with a qualitative approach. Data collection involved two stages: document analysis and on-line focus group. In document analysis, the course platform resources were consulted, including the curriculum matrix and the application projects. The on-line focus group took place on Google Meet, mediated by a facilitator. Content analysis was the methodology adopted to examine the collected information, using Bardin's thematic or categorical analysis technique, revealing two main categories. In the first category, “Production of mental health care in Primary Health Care,” two subcategories were identified: “Skills and competencies” and “Application project and its implementation.” In the second category, “Impressions on the teaching-learning process,” three subcategories stood out: “Difficulties regarding connectivity quality and time management between working and learning,” “Expectations regarding the course,” and “Critiques and suggestions.” This Academic Work of Course Completion (AWCC) from the Professional Master's Program in Health Education (MPHE) at the School of Medicine (SM) of the Federal University of Alagoas (FUAL) presents a scientific article entitled “Contributions of the Mental Health Care in Primary Care course in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Performance of Health Professionals.” Additionally, two educational products were developed: the podcast “PodSUSpirar” and the Instagram account with the same name, both aimed at promoting an association between them. The development of different Continuous Education strategies, driven by the increased use of digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, proved essential for a cultural and institutional transformation in the Unified Health System (UHS). This research highlights the need for professional improvement, which involves revising paradigms to ensure more qualified and humanized care practices. It is hoped that the results of this study will motivate the search for new approaches in promoting mental health care in primary health care through educational processes that integrate education and health services, thus contributing to the advancement of scientific production in this area.