Percepções sobre as lideranças imediatas e o processo de trabalho: um estudo sob as lentes de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde

Abstract

The professional practice of Community Health Agents is a central element in the organization of Primary Health Care. The work in the territory and the bond established with the community involves organizational, institutional and social requirements that have repercussions on the working conditions and health of these workers. This study aimed to understand the perception of Community Health Agents in relation to the influence of people management in their daily work process, and the specific objectives, to systematize how the scientific literature addresses the experiences and repercussions of the work process of Community Health Agents, to present the sociodemographic and labor profile of Community Health Agents in a municipality in the Triângulo Mineiro, relate aspects of people management to the impacts of interpersonal relationships, describe strategies related to Workers' Health to optimize the work processes of the CHAs. The materials and methods of this research occurred in two stages. Initially, an integrative literature review was carried out to understand the experiences of the work process of these professionals and their repercussions on occupational health, considering organizational, territorial and work management aspects. In the second stage, a descriptive-exploratory mixed-methods study was carried out with 151 Community Health Agents from a municipality in the Triângulo Mineiro region of Minas Gerais, using a structured questionnaire with objective and discursive questions. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and qualitative data by thematic content analysis. The literature shows a predominance of qualitative studies (88.9%) focusing on dimensions such as work organization, territory and mental health, which is empirically confirmed by showing a mostly female professional profile, with a mean age of 41.6 years and the presence of sick leave in 20.6% of the participants. The qualitative analysis of the field revealed three central categories: professional identity and management perception, relational dynamics and territory, and strategies and workers' health, which demonstrate the centrality of the community bond, the overlap between personal life and work, and the insufficiency of institutional support. Together, the findings of the review and the empirical research indicate that the organization of work and management practices directly influence the psychic suffering, quality of life and permanence of these workers in the health system. It is concluded that the organization of work and management practices are central elements in determining the health of Community Health Agents, and it is necessary to strengthen institutional strategies based on qualified listening, dialogue, cooperation and professional recognition. It is also emphasized the need to expand scientific production on the experiences of these workers, in order to subsidize actions aimed at professional valorization, improvement of working conditions and prevention of illness.