Community Health Agent's Handbook: an experience of shared knowledge production/Almanaque do Agente Comunitario de Saude: uma experiencia de producao compartilhada de conhecimentos/Almanaque del Agente Comunitario de Salud: una experiencia de producción compartida de conocimientos

• Published in: Interface (Botucatu, Brazil) Brazil), 2014-10, Vol.18 (51), p.1211
• Main Authors: Marteleto, Regina Maria, David, Helena Maria Scherlowski Leal
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1414-3283
• DOI: 10.1590/1807-57622013.0479

The Community Health Agent's Handbook was produced as an information, communication and popular education device, grounded on the handbooks' utilitarian and dialogical tradition. It was based on the premise that the agents' narratives are a privileged cultural field to understand the cultural dynamics of knowledge production on healthcare, due to their mediating role between health professional teams and the communities where they live and work. A qualitative sample was selected among Community Health Agents in three regions in Brazil, and also among healthcare professionals, coordinators and educators. Data collection was developed through narrative interviews, reading workshops and appropriation of handbooks. In addition, data were obtained from an extensive compilation of iconographic and textual sources. This paper presents the construction method and thematic structure of the Handbook, emphasizing its narrative character of a "popular encyclopedia". Keywords: Information. Popular Education and Healthcare. Community Health Agent. Handbook. O Almanaque do Agente Comunitario de Saude (ACS) foi produzido como um dispositivo de informacao, comunicacao e Educacao Popular em Saude, fundamentado na tradicao utilitaria e dialogica dos almanaques. Baseou-se na premissa de que as narrativas dos agentes constituem um campo cultural privilegiado para a compreensao da dinamica cultural de producao de conhecimentos sobre saude, devido ao seu papel mediador entre as equipes de profissionais e as comunidades nas quais vivem e atuam. Para compor a amostra qualitativa, foram selecionados Agentes Comunitarios de Saude em tres regioes do pais, alem de profissionais, coordenadores e formadores. Para a coleta de dados, foram realizadas entrevistas narrativas e oficinas de leitura e apropriacao de almanaques, alem da extensa compilacao de fontes textuais e iconograficas. Apresenta-se o modo de construcao e a estrutura tematica do Almanaque, ressaltando o seu carater narrativo de "enciclopedia popular". Palavras-chave: Informacao. Educacao Popular e Saude. Agente Comunitario de Saude. Almanaque.