Meanings assigned to dengue by primary health care nurses

Abstract

Introduction: dengue remains an important public health problem and continues to
impact the population’s economic, social and health contexts. Objective: this study’s
objective was to identify the meanings of dengue from the perspective of primary health
care nurses from a town in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Method: this qualitative
study is based on the Theory of Social Representations. The fieldwork included individual
interviews held with 17 nurses working in Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) [Primary
Health Care Units] and Equipes da Estratégia Saúde na Família (ESF) [Family Health
Strategy] from a town in Minas Gerais, Brazil, between June and July 2015. The reports
were recorded, transcribed and later analyzed and presented using the Discourse of the
Collective Subject (DCS). Results: the following meanings regarding dengue emerged:
immense discomfort, public health problem, carelessness people, consequence of lack of
education, viral disease, concern and fear, severe disease, disease caused by a mosquito
bite, epidemics, and other meanings. The meaning that was most frequently reported
was dengue as a public health problem. Discussion: the symbolic and figurative results
reveal how polysemic and multifaceted the topic of dengue is. It was an important
opportunity for the collective subject, composed of Primary Health Care nurses, to
express and represent the meaning it assigns to dengue. Conclusion: identifying the
meanings health workers assign to dengue is important to understanding its causality
and combat it as a current public health/collective health problem.