Community health agents and their experiences of pleasure and distress at work: a qualitative study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342012000300015Keywords:
Community Health Aides, Family Health Program, Working conditions, Occupational health, Health personnelAbstract
The objective of this study was to identify the situations that cause pleasure or distress at work among the Community Health Agents (CHA) in a city in Rio Grande do Sul state/Brazil. A qualitative study was performed with 24 agents as the participants. Data collection took place in 2009 through the use of focal groups, using the thematic analysis technique. The situations causing pleasure at work were: being recognized, solving problems, working with peers and being creative. Situations causing distress were: deficiencies in the health service; lack of knowledge regarding their roles; lack of recognition; the stress of teamwork; the obligation of living and working in the same area; daily living and becoming involved with the social problems of the community; and being exposed to violence, which resulted in fear. It was verified that there is a need for adopting interventions with a view to promoting better working conditions, professional satisfaction and the health of community agents.Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Downloads
Published
2012-06-01
Issue
Section
Original Article
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Lopes, D. M. Q., Beck, C. L. C., Prestes, F. C., Weiller, T. H., Colomé, J. S., & Silva, G. M. da. (2012). Community health agents and their experiences of pleasure and distress at work: a qualitative study. Revista Da Escola De Enfermagem Da USP, 46(3), 633-640. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342012000300015