Community health agents' work process and restructuring

Abstract

The current study analyzes the care provided by community health agents in the Family Health Program in Brazil, as characterized by their work process, the techniques they employ, and restructuring of their work. The research adopted a case study design, and data were collected with semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Instruments from the mapping method were used. The results indicate the extensive use of soft and soft-hard technologies in the production of care, backed by work in which the main input was the knowledge acquired by community health agents in the relationship established with target families. Although care centered on live work, in the act, where the community health agents determined their own actions, guided by their subjectivity, their work was subsumed by the logic of the hegemonic model, constituting an on-going dispute in relation to their work process. Despite their care and receptive management, community health agents were unable to "contaminate" the FHP team, shackled by defunct, established, organized work, thus hindering the restructuring process.

Delivery of Health Care; Family Health; Health Technology