THE CONTEXT OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER’S NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS AND INTER-RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the context in which the Family Health Strategy Community Health Worker’s network of relationships and inter-relationships develops. Grounded Theory was used as a methodological framework; the data was collected between February and April 2009 in a Local Health Unit in Florianópolis in Santa Catarina, through interviews held with 21 participants distributed in three sample groups. From the analysis, it stands out that the interaction between Community Health Workers (CHW), service users and the team takes place through home visits, meetings, therapeutic groups and socializing with the team. It is concluded that the CHWs’ context of relationships and inter-relationships is broad, as their activities are directly linked to the community, overcoming the Local Unit’s limitations. It is indicated that the informal meetings promoted by the team are an important strategy for forming the link between professionals and Community Health Workers.

Keywords

• Nursing
• Family health
• Primary health care
• Interpersonal relationships
• Inter-professional relationships