Enfrentamento a violência de gênero na atenção primária à saúde a luz da integralidade

Abstract

Among the different types and characteristics of violence, gender-based violence stands out, one of the biggest health problems today. Gender violence is linked to various acts and behaviors, such as physical, sexual and psychological abuse, in addition to moral and intellectual oppression. Gender issues were gradually and predominantly established so that violence against women found forms that adapted to the characteristics of time and modern society. In this sense, Primary Health Care (PHC) is the privileged locus of care, being an ally in the prevention, combat and monitoring of gender-based violence. The valorization of PHC is part of its connection in the operating scenario, enabling greater connection and understanding of subjects and their local relationships. This study aims to analyze, based on the speeches of health professionals, actions to combat gender-based violence in PHC in the light of comprehensiveness. This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, methodologically systematized by the Collective Subject Discourse (DSC) and based on the Theory of Social Representations. It was developed in two Basic Health Units (UBS). One in the municipality of Caicó in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and the other in the municipality of Sousa in the state of Paraíba. The participants were all health professionals who make up the team working at the UBS involved in the research and who wished to participate after presenting the RCLE. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview in October 2023, upon release and approval from the Ethics Committee to which the study was submitted. The empirical material was analyzed using the DSC technique. The study considered the ethical aspects of research involving human beings considered in Resolution No. 510/2016, of the National Health Council/CNS. From the speeches it was possible to construct four themes: professionals' knowledge of the care network for victims of violence; the prevention of cases of gender-based violence in PHC; comprehensiveness in the management of gender-based violence; and the actions of professionals in the face of gender-based violence in PHC. The effectiveness of interventions in PHC proved to be a fundamental element in mitigating this phenomenon. Strategies that promote reception, awareness among health professionals and coordination with other sectors are crucial for adequate support and prevention of gender-based violence. Thus, APS plays a central role in the integrated response to this social challenge. However, corporatist work, the disease-centered model and the disarticulation of services are points that stand out in the meanings expressed by the study participants. Within these obstacles, the service does not meet the complex demands that permeate cases of gender-based violence, consequently, victims often do not receive the necessary support, which can result in a culture of underreporting of cases and the perpetuation of the cycle of violence.