Users of psychoactive substances: challenges to nursing care in the Family Health Strategy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective to analyze the nursing care provided to users of psychoactive substances in the Family Health Strategy. Method a descriptive and qualitative study carried out with seven nurses from the Family Health Strategy of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Data was obtained through interviews guided by a semi-structured script and the Thematic Content Analysis was used for its treatment. Results the care provided by the interviewees is based on spontaneous demand, without active search strategies, with the valorization of practices guided by the medicalization of the person and the referral to specialized services. The inclusion of the family in the rehabilitation process, immediate care, and therapeutic listening were mentioned as strategies that can be adopted for an integral assistance. The challenges mentioned referred to the lack of training in mental health, the fragmentation of knowledge about the specialty, the absence of training, and the patient's desire to participate in the treatment. Final considerations and implications for the practice the nurses reported insufficient care to ensure comprehensive care permeated by a lack of knowledge and skills to deal with this public, which leads to referral to specialized services as the main intervention, reinforcing the need to train these professionals.