THESIS AND DISSERTATION ABSTRACT

The trajectory of dr. Elger nunes’ day-hospital: a historical view of psychiatry and mental health in Rio Grande do Norte

João Mário Pessoa Júnior¹, Francisco Arnoldo Nunes de Miranda¹

¹Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

RESUMO
In Brazil, the mental health network proposed by the Psychiatric Reform has introduced intermediaries and replacement services in the search for the participation or the rehabilitation of patients with mental and behavioral disorder in the community. Among other services, the Psychosocial Care Center, the Residence Therapeutics, Lar Housed, the Day Hospital and the Psychiatric Bed in the General Hospital were adopted. In this context, the State of Rio Grande do Norte created the Day Hospital Dr. Elger Nunes (HDEN, in portuguese) in Natal/RN in 1996.  This was attached to the State Department of Public Health. In HDEN, multi- and inter-disciplinary therapeutic work is undertaken, as well as it providing disciplinary practices and extension projects for undergraduate courses offered by higher education institutions in the city.
Keywords: Mental Health, Hospitals Day , Psychiatry, Psychiatric Nursing.

LOCALITY, DATE OF DEFENSE: Rio Grande do Norte, RN, BRAZIL. December 15, 2012.

EXAMINERS: Professor Arnoldo Nunes Francisco de Miranda, PhD (President of the Examining Board); Professor Clélia Albino Simpson, PhD (Member Examiner); Professor Lenilde Duarte de Sá, PhD (Member Examiner); Professor Germano Medeiros Raimunda PhD (Member Examiner).

REFERENCE LITERATURE: Pessoa Júnior JM. Trajectory Day-Hospital Dr. Elger Nunes: a historical view of psychiatry and mental health in Rio Grande do Norte. Dissertation (Master of Nursing). Natal:  Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Nursing Department; 2011.

INTRODUCTION

In Brazil, the mental health network proposed by the Psychiatric Reform has introduced intermediaries and replacement services in the search for the participation or the rehabilitation of patients with mental and behavioral disorder in the community. Among other services, the Psychosocial Care Center, the Residence Therapeutics, Lar Housed, the Day Hospital and the Psychiatric Bed in the General Hospital were adopted. In this context, the State of Rio Grande do Norte created the Day Hospital Dr. Elger Nunes (HDEN, in portuguese) in Natal/RN in 1996.  This was attached to the State Department of Public Health. In HDEN, multi- and inter-disciplinary therapeutic work is undertaken, as well as it providing disciplinary practices and extension projects for undergraduate courses offered by higher education institutions in the city. However, in 2006, due to the process of the decentralization of local services, the use of the Hospital was terminated by the State of Rio Grande do Norte, damaging the activities provided to users, disciplinary practices and extension activities.

OBJECTIVE

Based on this unfortunate situation, it is aimed to narrate the trajectory of HDEN through the perceptions of the multidisciplinary team of professionals and teachers who used it for disciplinary practices.

METHOD

This is characterized as a qualitative and documentary study, supported by an oral history approach, following the steps of: the authorization of volunteers, the recording of the interviews, textualization, and the transcription of the material obtained. We used documents, ordinances, general reports of activities, among other sources, and interviews with fifteen employees who used the services provided by HDEN. These individuals were part of thirteen multidisciplinary teams of professionals plus two teachers of undergraduate health care in the fields of Nursing and Medicine. The stories collected were organized according to the technique chosen,. In preparing the corpus submitted to the ALCESTE computer program, the author prioritized the key features in association with the formation of classes and categories chosen by him, structured under three main themes.

RESULTS

The first axis, called Trajectory HDEN, recalls the beginning of its operation, the difficulties it faced, its activities and the actors involved - users, family members, professionals, and teaching practitioners. The second axis details the process of the extinction of HDEN, in which the author gathered the feelings of the employees, the main reasons for the deactivation and the immediate post-extinction scenario. The third axis pivotally reveals the state of mental health in Natal/RN and points to the challenges and prospects for psychosocial care, starting from the trajectory of HDEN with an emphasis on the activities it offered.

CONCLUSION

The trajectory of HDEN provides a recognition of the historical grounds outlined in the constitution of the network of substitute services in this current scenario with regard to psychosocial care of patients in Natal and in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

REFERENCES

1. Ministério da Saúde (BR). Saúde Mental em dados – 9, ano IV, nº 9. Informativo eletrônico. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2011. Available from: http://www.ccs.saude.gov.br/saudemental/pdfs/Saude_Mental_em_Dados_9.pdf
2. Camargo BV. ALCESTE: um programa informático de análise quantitativa de dados textuais. In: Moreira ASP, Camargo BV, Jesuíno JC, Nóbrega SM, organizadores. Perspectivas teórico-metodológicas em representações sociais. João Pessoa: UFPB; 2005. p. 511-39
3. Meihy JCSB. Manual de história oral.  4ª ed. São Paulo: Loyola; 2002.
4. Miranda FAN, Santos RCA, Azevedo DM, Fernandes RL, Costa TS. Fragmentos históricos da assistência psiquiátrica no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2010. 31(3): 475-82.
5. Secretaria de Saúde Pública do Rio Grande do Norte. Proposta de Trabalho do Hospital-Dia. Natal: SESAP-RN; 1996.

Received: 03/02/2012
Approved: 15/08/2012