Care protocol for fine-needle aspiration biopsy of breast and thyroid

Abstract

This study had the aim of building a care protocol for fine-needle aspiration biopsy of breast and thyroid. Using a convergent-care type qualitative approach, it was developed in a teaching hospital in southern Brazil, between September 2010 and April 2011. The study participants were 88 patients and 20 professionals who work in the Radiology Service. The protocol was built in three stages: development of educational activities in the waiting room with the patients for the identification of doubts and anxieties in relation to the examination; meetings held with the professionals for the evaluation and validation of the protocol; and search for scientific evidence in data sources. The organization of data allowed to elaborate the flowchart of patient care and the care protocol, which was organized in sequential activities and included the executor, the activity and the scientific justification. The professionals expressed the importance of the protocol, which brings advantages for patient care, such as agility, organization and the humanization of the service.