Health communication for Primary Care nurses based on the theory of communicative action

Abstract

The article aims to explore the meanings of health communication for nurses in Primary Health Care, in a municipality in the Triângulo Mineiro. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study, made by using interviews guided by a semi-structured script with 29 nurses from the Family Health Strategy, audio-recorded, fully transcribed, analyzed following the Content Analysis framework. Two categories were identified: Health communication as technology in working with users and health communication as an element for multidisciplinary and intersectoral work. In the first category, the communication is to transfer of information; it aims at user understanding of procedures and treatment and health care. From the perspective of understanding, it approaches communicative action through language, even though the preventive/curative logic is hegemonic and other elements are necessary. In the second category, there is a dimension of communication in multidisciplinary work and proved to be convergent with communicative action, materializing through partnership/search for understanding/integration and solidarity. Communicative action enables approaches and advances in communicative practice in health, as it aims to promote new ways of thinking, acting and communicating freely, through more dialogic, participatory and egalitarian interactions. It is necessary progress towards salutogenesis and health promotion.