The home visit performed by the community health agent from the perspective of adults and elderly

Abstract

Home visits are the main working tool for community agents in the Family Health Strategy. The objective of this study was to describe the perception of adults and elderly about the home visit performed by the community health agent. The employed methodology was the qualitative approach based on some methodological procedures of the Discourse of the Collective Subject. Data were collected in May 2007 at a Family Health Unit of the city of Botucatu, state of São Paulo, by means of a socio-demographic form and a semi-structured interview conducted with 14 users. Data analysis identified two themes: "Feelings and perceptions in relation to the visit and the community agent" and "The recognition of the community agent's actions." Although the interviewees feel satisfied with and grateful for the visit, they believe that the frequency is insufficient and ignore the contents of the notes made by the agent during the visit, which indicate that nurses must invest in educational activities with these professionals, prioritizing issues involving communication processes. It is believed that with this, it will be possible to optimize, qualitatively, this activity.