Comparação entre o conhecimento dos ingressantes e dos estudantes do terceiro período de cursos da área da saúde da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Norte sobre o Sistema único de Saúde

Abstract

Introduction: With the Unique Health System (SUS) creation, many changes occurred within the scope of public health, the individual was seen as a whole and the access to health became universal. The SUS has its base and gateway in the primary health care, which in turn is structured in the Family Health Strategy (ESF) model, which has a multiprofessional approach to teamwork. With these changes, it was necessary for the health educations centers to follow this progress, with the inclusion of curricular components and projects that inserted the health professional future’s in the SUS reality. The curricular components Saúde e Cidadania (SACI I) and Atividade Interativa Interdisciplinar II: Saúde e Cidadania II (SACI II) of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte aim to approach the students of the health area with the Unique Health System. Objectives: To evaluate the role of the curricular components SACI I e SACI II in the health area students’ knowledge about SUS with a focus on basic care. Methodology: It is a quantitative cross-sectional study in which a questionnaire was applied to incoming and for third period students of dentistry, medicine, and nursing courses, since these components are required for these courses. The questionnaire was composed of information about the socioeconomic and demographic data of students and 12 significant questions on the topics covered in SACI I and SACI II. The data were analyzed using the Software Statistical Package for Social Science for Windows (SPSS) through a descriptive and inferential analysis. Results: The third period students obtained a higher percentage of correct answers, in all the questions, than the students of the first period. When the students were evaluated if they intend to work in the SUS and if they use the SUS in relation to the other data of the research, it was seen that, independent of the related data, most of them intend to work in SUS and also use it. Conclusions: It can be noted that the curricular components SACI I and SACI II have important roles in students’ knowledge about SUS and that even in the country’s political and economic situation, that affects both health and education, the vast majority of students want work in SUS.