Autocuidado: práticas dos profissionais vinculados às residências do Estado da Paraíba e suas implicações na atenção primária à saúde

Abstract

Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and/or communities to maintain and promote health, prevent and cope with illness and disability, with or without the help of a health professional. The aim of this study was to describe the self-care skills of residents and preceptors linked to the Family and Community Medicine (FCM) and Multiprofessional Family Health Residency (MHPHR) programmes in the state of Paraíba - Brazil; as well as to investigate the association between self-care and the practices of these professionals in Primary Health Care (PHC). This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach and a census- type sample of 300 professionals. The data was obtained through an electronic questionnaire applied in the second half of 2023. Descriptive, bivariate (Chi-square and Fisher's exact) and logistic regression analyses were carried out. The grouping variable self-care was found to be associated with sociodemographic and labour variables, physical and mental health conditions and professional practice. The majority of participants were female (69.3%), had no partner (53.4%) and no children (75.7%). Half of the professionals (54.0%) had self-care skills, which were associated with the perception of health status as very good or excellent. Among doctors, 36.4 per cent and 7.7 per cent said they were overweight and obese, respectively; and the prevalence rates were similar for multi-professionals. More doctors said they had a mental disorder (46.9 per cent) than multiprofessionals (31.5 per cent) (p=0.022). Professionals who said they always or frequently took care of themselves felt ‘very motivated’ to provide guidance on self-care in the service (p=0.006); they developed more Health Education projects (p=0.042) and had more professional experience on the prevention and management of obesity and chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) (p=0.026) compared to those who did not take care of themselves or took care of themselves sporadically. The health professional's self-care skills in their personal life were associated with motivation to provide guidance on self-care to the population assisted in PHC. Our findings point to the need for actions and policies that encourage self-care among health professionals, given that this could have a positive impact on their areas of work. The technical product produced consisted of a conclusive technical report, in the form of a portfolio for dissemination, summarizing the findings of the research group's work, as well as suggestions and recommendations for the study participants, with a view to improving the training process implemented in the residencies. This Master's Degree Final Paper is the result of the Professional Master's Degree in Family Health (PROFSAÚDE) stricto sensu postgraduate programme.