Nurses from the public health system: a vision about the family

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how nurses from the public health system get along with the families, what they learned as undergraduates and their contributions to the future professionals. Data analysis allowed us to infer that the nurses interviewed gained little understanding about the family as a care unit and, in their daily work. The focus is still biologicist, focusing on the patient’s symptoms and whose family is understood as an informer and responsible for the treatment. As far as the education to new professionals is concerned, it is important to incorporate, interdisciplinarity and teamwork. However, the family should be understood as a participant in treatment with na acceptance in relation to their needs in health services.