Práticas de saúde das equipes dos Consultórios de Rua

Abstract

Two distinctly serious public health problems interconnect in the universe of this study: living on the streets and drug use. To deal with this problem, Street Outreach Offices were created with a prime focus on the life world of drug users living on the streets. The aim was to learn about the health practices used by teams from Street Outreach Offices, in addition to describing their work strategies, learning about the health education provided by the teams, and unveiling their feelings about the work process on the streets. This was a qualitative study with participant observation and content analysis as proposed by Bardin. Analysis of interviews with 15 participants revealed five thematic categories. Health practices by the teams prioritized outreach to (and embracement of) people living on the streets, reinforcing the importance of users' participation and interdisciplinary, inter-sector work.