Welcoming: concepts, implications for work processes and the provision of health care

Abstract

The study was based on data from a research project “Welcome* in a Primary Care Family Health Unit: a reorganization of the work process and the quality of care”.  This article, comprising a partial analysis of the research data, attempts to identify the understanding of health professionals regarding the significance of “welcoming” and the implications of this practice on the way work is carried out and on the kinds of care provided to users.  It is a qualitative study carried out in the Family Health Unit of Progresso, in Juiz de For a/ M.  Those studied were the health care workers and the medical residents from the Family Medicine Residency Program, doctors, nurses, social workers, nursing assistants and community health agents all of whom were given semi-structured interviews.  Additionally participant observation was used as a technical tool.  The data showed that “welcome” constitutes a continuous challenge, full of tension.  However it has contributed toward a sense of the re-significance of the work processes and has impacted in a positive way the care given to users.